


Day Dream

by Starlight1395



Category: Monsta X (Band), VIXX
Genre: Angst, Attempted Rape, Blood, Character Death, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Gore, M/M, Magic, Mentions of Blood, Mentions of homophobia, Mentions of past abuse, Supernatural - Freeform, Vampires, Violence, Witches, brief OCs - Freeform, descriptions of violence, joohoen is an asshole at first
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-10-17
Packaged: 2019-06-24 11:14:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15629562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starlight1395/pseuds/Starlight1395
Summary: Minhyuk just wanted his best friend and roommate Jooheon to come home in one piece. Jooheon has been acting strange and it was really starting to worry the elder. When Jooheon comes home and explodes, Minhyuk doesn't understand.Jooheon, on the other hand, had a dark secret that he doesn't want Minhyuk knowing. After almost getting the older boy killed, Jooheon will do anything to keep him safe, even if it means driving him away completely.The last thing Minhyuk expected was to come face to face with blood red eyes staring out of a familiar face...





	1. Chapter 1

Minhyuk looked at the dinner that was quickly growing cold on the small counter that doubled as the kitchen table. His apartment mate, Jooheon, was supposed to be home. It was Tuesday, and it had been a tradition that every Tuesday was reserved for dinner and movies – just the two of them. Jooheon hadn’t missed a single Tuesday.

Until recently.

Minhyuk checked his phone for the tenth time in as many minutes. An uneasy feeling started bubbling up in his chest. Even before, when Jooheon was… even then, the other boy made a point to be home on Tuesdays. Even if he came home with a black eye and reeking of alcohol and something more, he was always there. Minhyuk thought about texting his friends Jaehwan and Sanhyuk, knowing they were always ready to party, but thought better of it. They could be a bit… much, and at that moment he was already a little drained. He chuckled at the irony of his thought.

He sighed, deciding there was no point in waiting any longer. This was the third week in a row that Jooheon hadn’t come home for their Tuesday night plans, and he wasn’t even surprised anymore. Disappointed, but not surprised.

Fighting back tears, Minhyuk started packing up the meal. It wasn’t anything special to anyone else, but he knew it was Jooheon’s favorite. Ever since the younger boy moved away from home and in with him, Jooheon hadn’t been able to have his mother’s cooking as often, and Minhyuk knew it brightened up the other boy’s day when he attempted to make meals from his childhood.

Just as he was putting the last container into the fridge, the front door slammed open. Jooheon stumbled in, slamming into the couch. Minhyuk rushed over to him, his hands shaking as they tried to assess the damage that was sure to be on his friend’s body.

No matter what happened- no matter how close to death he had come because of Jooheon and his bad decisions – Minhyuk was always worried and always prepared to clean up the other boy at the end of the day.

“Oh my god, Jooheon what the fuck happened-?” His question was cut off by a shove. Jooheon pushed him away, not seeming to care that Minhyuk’s cheek make contact with the small table next to the couch.

“Get off me,” Jooheon growled, not looking his roommate in the eye. “God, all you do is fuss. I don’t need you to fuss over me.”

“Jooheon, I’ve tried to be respectful but this is getting out of control.” Minhyuk was proud of himself for keeping the tremors from his voice. His cheek throbbed painfully, but his heart throbbed even more when he saw the cold expression on Jooheon’s face.

“What do you care?” He all but snarled, and Minhyuk couldn’t help but flinch back. He didn’t know who walked through their front door, but it certainly wasn’t his Jooheon.

“Of course I care you idiot!” He felt his throat sting and he knew he was going to cry. “You’re my best friend and you’re coming home late, covered in bruises. You’ve missed the last three Tuesdays. You never answer my messages anymore-”

“Best friend?” Jooheon laughed, but it was anything but the warm sound Minhyuk had grown so fond of. Minhyuk reached out, but Jooheon caught his wrist tightly. For the first time, Jooheon looked Minhyuk in the eye, and there was no warmth in his gaze. “You’re just a roommate. Nothing more. You have no business poking your damn nose in my business all the time.”

“Just a…” Minhyuk felt the tears running down his cheek more than he felt himself actually crying. Jooheon’s eyes widened just a fraction, but instead of apologizing he just released the bruising grip he had on Minhyuk’s wrist. The elder instantly cradled it to his chest, knowing without a doubt that there would be a mark come morning.

“Minhyuk-”

“Fine.” Minhyuk shut down, speaking like a robot. Jooheon had only heard the other boy speak that way once before, when his parents kicked him out. The younger went white as Minhyuk brushed past him and into his room. Minhyuk slammed the door shut, ignoring the faint voice on the other side.

Tears continues to stream down his face as he threw everything he could reach into a large duffle bag. As a last thought, he grabbed his stash of money that he kept for emergencies and his passport.

“Hyung, shit I’m… I’m sorry I just… you don’t understand my position- shit,” Jooheon rambled on as Minhyuk zipped the duffle shut. Without a second thought, Minhyuk threw the door open, almost hitting Jooheon in the process. “Wh-where are you going?”

“Why is it any of your business?” Minhyuk said coldly, causing Jooheon to flinch as if he had been hit. “You’re just my roommate. Why should you care where I’m going?”

“I fucked up-”

“I would say I don’t know when I’m coming back but again, why should you care?” He spat out before storming out of the apartment. He heard Jooheon calling after him, but he basically ran to the stairwell.

Normally, he was too tired after working to take the stairs, but he needed an outlet that didn’t involve punching a wall or drinking copious amounts of alcohol. He bounced down the stairs two at a time, furious tears still streaming down his red cheeks. He made it to his car, parked neatly in front of the apartment complex.

Minhyuk pulled out his phone and dialed the only number he had memorized besides his own and his parent’s home number.

“Minhyuk?” Hyunwoo picked up on the third ring. Just hearing his friend’s voice caused a new wave of tears to rush over Minhyuk. “Are you alright?”

“I g-got into a fight with Jooheon,” he barked out between tears. “He… Hyunwoo it was so bad.”

“What happened?”

“He missed our Tuesday night again, and when he came home he was st-stumbling so I wanted to make sure he was okay… he pushed me away… said I wasn’t his friend. He said I was nothing more than a roommate, and that I had no business trying to pry.”

“What the fu- are you okay? How far away are you?” Hyunwoo sounded like he was about to come over and punch Jooheon’s lights out.

“I can be there in fifteen,” He sniffled, the tears finally seeming to run out. “And I’m… as good as I can be.”

“Want me to have Kihyun order take out?” Hyunwoo ordered, knowing fully well that his friend wouldn’t have eaten without Jooheon there. Hyunwoo knew Minhyuk like the back of his hand – something the younger boy loved and detested at the same time. “He can pick up some soju when he’s out.”

“Yes please,” Minhyuk felt drained. He didn’t want to move, but he knew if he sat there much longer Jooheon would realize his car was still there and try to find him. “I’ll be over soon.”

“Stay safe okay? I’ll see you soon.” Hyunwoo said, stressing the first part of the request. He was more than aware of the dangers Minhyuk faced because of his roommate – something he swore on his life that the younger boy would never have to face again.

“See you soon.” Minhyuk offered a faint smile, even though the man on the other end couldn’t see it. He hung up, turned off his phone and started his car, grimacing at the upbeat song playing on the radio. The drive to Hyunwoo and Kihyun’s shared apartment took ten minutes exactly. He didn’t mean to speed, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. It was almost midnight, and the feeling of going faster, faster, faster made his heart beat and his chest feel a little lighter.

He didn’t even get a chance to properly knock before the front door was thrown open and strong arms pulled him into a tight hug. Minhyuk instantly started sobbing again. The warmth from Hyunwoo’s hug made the younger boy melt, all the fear and anxiety and pain rushing out once more. Hyunwoo’s arms tightened around him as his knees gave out, and the larger man easily picked Minhyuk up. He carried his friend to the couch, where he quickly curled into Hyunwoo’s side.

“Oh my god Minhyuk,” Hyunwoo breathed in shock, his warm hand coming up to carefully brush against the younger boy’s cheek. Minhyuk had almost forgotten about that, until the touch send a stab of pain through the side of his face. “Please don’t tell me Jooheon hit you.”

“He didn’t hit me.” Minhyuk promised, his voice soft.

“How did this happen?”

“He didn’t hit me, hyung. Really.”

“Then what happened?” Hyunwoo’s hands formed tight fists on his knees, and Minhyuk could see his friend’s shoulders tensing in anger.

“I fell.” It sounded fake, even though that’s technically what happened.

“Minhyuk…” Hyunwoo said warningly.

“He pushed me, and I fell into a table.” Minhyuk closed his eyes, another tear slipping down his tacky cheek.

“I’m gonna kill him-” Hyunwoo growled before quickly turning his attention back to Minhyuk. “Did he do anything else to hurt you?”

Minhyuk bit his lip and pulled his sleeve over his hand more securely. Hyunwoo looked at him intently, knowing the younger boy wasn’t very good at lying or keeping secrets. Minhyuk fiddled with his sleeve, right over where the bruise was forming.

“N-no hyung.” He whimpered sadly, unable to meet Hyunwoo’s eyes. The elder saw right through his lie and took his hand gently. Minhyuk sucked in a pained breath when the movement jostled his sore wrist. Hyunwoo looked close to tears as he pushed his friend’s sleeve back and saw the finger marks clear as day on Minhyuk’s pale skin.

“Oh Minhyuk… I’m going to fucking kill him.” Hyunwoo stood suddenly, startling Minhyuk. The younger quickly jumped to his feet and grabbed his friend, stopping him in his tracks.

“Please hyung, don’t do anything!” He pleaded, afraid for Jooheon. He knew all too well how Hyunwoo could get when one of his friends was threatened.

“Just… I just need some time away. Maybe I’ll start looking into new apartments… hey, maybe Hoseok hyung and Hyungwon would want to share one with me.” He chuckled sadly, but it was enough to get Hyunwoo to sit again.

“Let’s not think about that right now,” He said, all fire leaving his body as he saw how close to breaking Minhyuk looked. “Kihyun should be back soon with the food.”

“Hyung… what did I do wrong?” Minhyuk asked softly, and some of the rage sparked again in Hyunwoo’s chest.

“Nothing,” He said firmly, pulling the smaller boy into his chest. Minhyuk instantly curled into the embrace, as if he was touch starved. “You didn’t do a single damn thing wrong. This is all Jooheon, and I’m going to have a serious talk with him sooner rather than later.”

“I thought he was my best friend,” Minhyuk sniffled, wanting to cry but couldn’t seem to anymore. “I thought I was his best friend… Just a roommate? I didn’t think I was ‘just a roommate’ when I let him sleep in my bed with me after he was cheated on because he kept having nightmares. I wasn’t ‘just a roommate’ when we got drunk and-” he cut himself off, realizing he was about to say something he had never spoken to anyone outside of Jooheon about.

“What happened when you got drunk?” Hyunwoo pressed gently, almost knowing where the other was going to go with the story.

“We just made out, but he kept asking to go further,” Minhyuk closed his eyes tightly, trying to block out the image of Jooheon’s flushed cheeks and side smile and the loving gaze he stared at Minhyuk with. “B-but I knew he was drunk and told him to ask again when we were sober. We fell asleep together, but in the morning he didn’t remember anything…”

“That asshole,” Hyunwoo whispered under his breath. He cleared his throat before speaking loud enough for Minhyuk to hear. “You don’t deserve that.”

“Why don’t we just date?” he asked, a hint of humor back in his voice, which gave Hyunwoo a little hope. “Everything would be easier. We already know each other better than we know ourselves, and I know what you like during sex so that would be easy.”

“You know why.” He said softly, and Minhyuk smiled sadly.

“Yeah, I know,” He buried his face in Hyunwoo’s broad chest and listened to his friend’s heartbeat. “Doesn’t stop me from dreaming.”

“Hey Minhyuk, how are you feeling?” Kihyun opened the door to see his roommate and his roommate’s best friend in his arms, tear tracks evident on both of their faces.

“A little better now.” He mumbled, lifting his head to give Kihyun a watery smile. Kihyun tried to return it, but it looked more like a grimace.

“Here, I got food and drinks. We’re going to help you forget about what happened, okay?”

“Can you grab an ice pack from the fridge?” Hyunwoo chimed in.

“Sure,” Kihyun said hesitantly, not knowing why. As he handed it to Hyunwoo, he raised an eyebrow. “Did something happen?”

“Jooheon bruised his wrist and his cheek,” Hyunwoo had to bite back to spite in his voice. He knew Jooheon wasn’t a bad person, and that he was prone to falling into bad situations because of how trusting he can be, but he was only a notch shy of furious at him at the moment. “His cheek doesn’t seem too bad but his wrist is bruising pretty badly.”

“What?” Kihyun breathed, coming around to kneel in front of Minhyuk. He gently moved aside the icepack and swallowed thickly at the sight of the purple bruising in the shape of long fingers wrapped around his slim wrist. “Jesus Christ…”

“I already offered to beat some sense into him, but Minhyuk said no.” Hyunwoo said with a slight laugh, trying to lighten the mood. It worked – both Kihyun and Minhyuk chuckled a little as the shortest stood and went to serve the food.

“Here,” He said, handing a heavy plate to Minhyuk along with two bottle of soju. “Eat up. I don’t want any leftovers in my fridge in the morning.”

“Aye aye captain,” Minhyuk saluted before taking the plate and digging in. “Oh my god this is so good.” He moaned around the chopsticks. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was, though it made sense seeing how he hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning.

Hyunwoo cracked open the first bottle of soju for the night, lifting it high in a toast. “To Minhyuk, and to friends.” He said with a lopsided smile. Minhyuk grinned and swallowed quickly to open his own bottle and return the toast.

The three threw back their drinks and downed as much as they could in a single go. Minhyuk drained half the bottle before gasping for breath and putting it down. He was determined to have a good night, without any thoughts of Jooheon.

* * *

  
“If you want, I can crash on th’ couch and Minnie can have my bed.” Kihyun slurred a little. The evening was coming to a close, and it was evident that it was time to turn in for the night.

“Nah, I know Minnie like the back of my hand,” Hyunwoo said, slurring less than Kihyun but slurring nonetheless. “You wanna stay in my bed right? Like old times?”

“Mmhmm yeah,” Minhyuk sighed dreamily. He, out of the three, drank the most and was ready to pass out. “Woonie is always so warm and soft.”

“Come on Minnie, you can borrow one of my shirts,” Hyunwoo offered, knowing how the smaller boy liked to drown in his oversized clothing. “You look like you’re going to drop.”

“You’re so good to me.” Minhyuk giggled as Hyunwoo scooped him up and carried him to his bedroom. Minhyuk’s head lolled and he giggled more, holding tightly onto his friend as if he was going to fall, though Hyunwoo was holding onto him securely enough that there was no chance of him touching the ground any time soon.

Hyunwoo gently placed him on the bed and dug through his dresser for a clean shirt. Minhyuk started to strip, his level of intoxication making it a little difficult to not get stuck in his shirt. When Hyunwoo turned around, he couldn’t help but chuckle at how the smaller boy had gotten tangled in his shirt.

He gently took Minhyuk’s shirt off and replaced it with his own.

“Hyunwoo, come here,” Minhyuk mumbled as he curled up on the older man’s bed. Hyunwoo obliged, scooting onto the mattress so Minhyuk could rest his head on his chest. They laid in silence for a moment before Hyunwoo felt heat seeping into his shirt. “Do you think he ate? Jooheon almost never remembers to eat when he’s alone…”

“He’s an adult Minnie. You don’t have to worry about him.”

“After what happened last summer…” Minhyuk trailed off, his drunk brain making it hard to formulate sentences. He felt Hyunwoo tense under him.

“You did your best to protect him, and it almost cost you your life,” he said, trying to hide how angry the whole situation still made him. “You are so selfless Minhyuk… you don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

“I really thought we were friends… after everything,” Minhyuk started crying harder. He was emotional normally, but when he was drunk he tended to be even more so. “Of course… of course I’m not his friend… I’m nothing to him… I’m nothing…”

“You’re so amazing Minhyuk. You’re sweet and caring and so damn loving.” Hyunwoo tried to counter the rambling coming from his friend.

“There’s no way he’d want me as a friend,” Minhyuk started crying harder. “There’s no way he’d love someone like me-”

He stopped breathing. Tears continued to stream down his face but his whole body froze. He quickly sat up, his heart starting to beat faster and faster. Hyunwoo sat up as well and rubbed Minhyuk’s back, noticing the state of panic the younger boy was in.

Hyunwoo knew. He knew Minhyuk loved Jooheon, but he didn’t know Minhyuk was unaware of that himself. Like a pipe breaking, Minhyuk started sobbing loudly and painfully, his body doubling over with the force of the cried. Hyunwoo wrapped his arms around Minhyuk, the boy fitting perfectly in the embrace, and let him cry into his chest. When he felt Minhyuk pull away a little, he let him go but left his hands on his shoulders. Minhyuk wiped his face with the backs of his hands as he gasped for a deep breath.

Hyunwoo did what he knew they both needed. He leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to Minhyuk’s mouth. The smaller boy immediately reciprocated, pushing into the kiss to feel Hyunwoo’s lips against his own better.

They had an interesting relationship. They were best friends – they knew each other better than they knew themselves. That meaning they knew what the other needed in different situations – knew when the others needed comfort or physical reassurance. The first time they slept together was in high school, when Hyunwoo was dumped because he couldn’t bring himself to have sex with his girlfriend. Minhyuk was the one to help him realize he was gay, and in return Hyunwoo helped Minhyuk realize he was bisexual. They were perfect with each other, but would never date. Minhyuk understood that as a couple, their dynamic would change drastically, and that was something neither of them wanted to risk, even for a moment. That, and the fact that Hyunwoo was had been – and still was - head over heels for a particular man with a talent for cooking and nagging.

Minhyuk wrapped his arms around Hyunwoo’s neck and deepened the kiss, biting the older man’s lip until he opened his mouth. Hyunwoo moaned into the kiss, his arms wrapping around Minhyuk’s waist as the smaller boy’s tongue found its way into his mouth. Minhyuk’s hands drifted down from Hyunwoo’s neck to feel at the v of his waist. Hyunwoo shuddered at the feeling of Minhyuk’s long fingers ghosting over his heated skin.

“You’re gorgeous Minhyuk,” Hyunwoo whispered as he pulled away just enough to bite at the smaller boy’s neck. “You don’t deserve the shit Jooheon puts you through.”

“Don’t- don’t talk about him when you’re grinding into me.” Minhyuk gasped and laughed at the same time. Hyunwoo smirked and bucked his hips up again, causing Minhyuk to whine lightly.

“You’re so beautiful,” Hyunwoo growled as he flipped Minhyuk over. Minhyuk stared up at his friend with a smirk and trailed his hands down his muscular chest. “God Minnie, you’re perfect.”

“Stop talking and fuck me already,” Minhyuk whined again. “Make me feel special Hyunwoo.” He didn’t mean to let his voice drop to pained whisper, but Hyunwoo heard the desperation in his words.

Hyunwoo dove down and captured Minhyuk’s lips again, determined to make his friend think he was special. He was going to, even just for the night, make Minhyuk forget about Jooheon.

* * *

  
“Kyunnie, I fucked up. Really bad this time.” Jooheon whispered into his phone. He watched Minhyuk drive away and speed out of the complex with tears streaming down his face.

“What did you do?” Changkyun was already grabbing his keys.

“I pushed Minhyuk away,” He flinched as he spoke, hating himself for letting things get out of hand. “Literally. I literally pushed him and he fell and hit the table… then he tried to grab for me and I panicked. I grabbed his wrist way too tightly… he’s gonna bruise because of me…”

“Wouldn’t be the first time…” Changkyun muttered under his breath. He loved Jooheon, don’t get him wrong. The older boy was one of his best friends, but he didn’t agree with some of the shit he got himself – and subsequently Minhyuk – into with his bad decisions.

“I… I told him we weren’t friends. That he was nothing more than a roommate to me…”

“Oh fuck… you didn’t.” Changkyun knew that was a low blow, even for Jooheon.

“I couldn’t have him getting closer to me.” Jooheon tried to defend himself, but felt his chest rip in two when the look of absolute betrayal on Minhyuk’s face flashed through his mind once again. He fought back another sob.

“Hyung, be honest with me,” Changkyun kept his voice level when in reality all he wanted to do was yell some sense into his friend. “Are you doing it again?”

“Changkyun-”

“Answer the question. Have you gone back to those… monsters again?”

“Kyunnie, they aren’t monsters,” Jooheon fought weakly. “They’re just… misunderstood.”

“And that’s why Minhyuk hyung almost fucking died, right? Because they were misunderstood?” Changkyun didn’t mean to snap, but he was angry.

“I never wanted Minhyuk to get hurt,” He said softly. “But that wasn’t them. That was another group… he just got caught up in the crossfire.”

“I can’t believe you hyung… after everything that happened, you’re still hanging out with those people.”

“Please, I don’t need another lecture,” Jooheon was close to tears again. “I’ve already fucked up enough tonight… I can’t even apologize to Minhyuk because his phone is turned off.”

“We both know where he is hyung,” Changkyun said as he parked in Minhyuk’s spot. “He went to Hyunwoo hyung’s place. That’s where he always goes.”

“I know… I can’t go there now though. Hyunwoo hyung would break my nose.”

“Here, let me in. We can brainstorm how to apologize to Minhyuk hyung.” Changkyun said into the phone as he approached Jooheon’s door.

“I don’t deserve you…” Jooheon whispered before hanging up. He opened the door and saw a faintly pissed off Changkyun standing there with two cartons of ice cream.

“You really don’t,” He said, letting himself. “You know who else you don’t deserve? Minhyuk hyung. I bet he made your favorite today. You know, he asked me to get your mom’s recipe for him so he could make it for you because, and I quote, ‘he’s been looking a little down lately’.”

“Oh my god… I really fucked up…” Jooheon collapsed onto the couch, covering his face. “I just… I just didn’t want him to get hurt again.”

“Then why stay involved with those people?” Changkyun grabbed two spoons and sat down next to his friend.

“It’s… complicated,” Jooheon whispered, not looking at Changkyun. “I couldn’t explain it even if I tried.”

“Then try.”

“Fuck… They aren’t… they aren’t like us, and they needed someone to help them… and they know things no one else knows… I want to be a doctor, but I can’t unless they teach me.”

“Um, go to medical school?” Changkyun was a little more than irritated.

“They know shit medical school would never consider,” Jooheon said instantly. “If I want to save lives, I need them.”

“Whatever man, that’s not important right now,” Changkyun was angry at his friend, but he knew he had to put his own anger aside and help Jooheon.

“What’s important is how we’re going to save your relationship with Minhyuk hyung, if we even can.”

“You’re right… what did you have in mind Kyunnie?”


	2. Chapter 2

Jooheon woke up disoriented. He felt familiar arms around him, but instead of comfort he felt immediate panic. If Changkyun was sleeping next to him, it meant one thing.

Still mostly asleep, he tore away from Changkyun’s tired embrace and stumbled towards Minhyuk’s room. Throwing the door open, he stared at the empty bed for only a second before bursting into gut wrenching sobs. He felt hands on him, but he was too focused on the fact that Minhyuk was still missing – Minhyuk was missing because of him and he was never going to see him again and it was all his fault-

He felt a sting on his cheek.

“Hyung, wake up! It’s okay. Minhyuk isn’t missing.” It was Changkyun, desperately trying to get the other boy to focus on his words.

“Oh my god he’s still gone-” Jooheon thought he was going to throw up.

“No hyung, he’s at Hyunwoo’s. You got in a fight, remember?” Changkyun was cradling Jooheon’s head close to his chest, partially to comfort the older boy but also to prevent Jooheon from clawing at his face.

“He’s… he’s okay?” Jooheon started to actually wake up. Bits and pieces of the night before started floating through his mind.

“Yeah, he’s okay.” Changkyun let Jooheon calm down in his arms, knowing exactly how to comfort him.

Back when Minhyuk was missing – for almost three weeks – after the incident, Jooheon was inconsolable. Changkyun stayed with him for that time, sleeping next to him and comforting him. Each morning, Jooheon would run to Minhyuk’s room and each morning, Jooheon would break down when he realized Minhyuk still wasn’t there.

It broke Changkyun’s heart to know Jooheon still found himself trapped back in that time, but a small part of him felt the older boy deserved it the slightest bit for endangering Minhyuk in the first place. He waited until Jooheon’s breathing was back to normal before standing and helping his friend off the floor.

“Hey, you wanna go for a walk?” Changkyun suggested carefully. “We can brainstorm on how to apologize, yeah?”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Jooheon wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and took a shaky breath. His heart was still beating erratically and he fought the urge to curl up in Minhyuk’s bed and wait for him to come home.

“Cool, we can get some breakfast while we’re out.” Changkyun smiled, and for a spit second Jooheon wished he could have fallen for his other best friend instead of his roommate, but he knew that was just wishful thinking.

“Let’s go Kyunnie.”

* * *

  
“Minnie, wake up,” Hyunwoo’s voice floated through Minhyuk’s sleep. “Kihyunnie made breakfast. Are you sore? I can get you some Advil.”

“Ah, you never fuck me hard enough to make me sore the next day, no matter how much I beg…” Minhyuk grumbled as he rolled over and stretched. His back cracked loudly and he moaned just as loud.

“Come on, it’s gonna get cold.” Hyunwoo smiled warmly at Minhyuk as the younger boy sat up and shrugged on the shirt that had quickly been discarded the night before.

“Hey Hyunwoo?” Minhyuk said softly and Hyunwoo stopped in the doorway. He carefully went back to the bed and sat next to the other boy, letting Minhyuk rest his head on his shoulder. “Thank you. For last night, and everything you’ve done for me all these years… I don’t want to be the reason you and Kihyun hyung aren’t… but you’re just so important to me. No one else could bother with my bullshit all the time and still treat me the same… I just want you to know you’re really important to me and I really do love you. Part of me really wishes we could be together because… because you’re just that important to me but I love you enough to know that would hurt you more than help… fuck I’m rambling now… I just- thank you Hyunwoo. For being there for me.” Minhyuk finished his rambling speech with a slight sniffle and a shy smile.

Hyunwoo hadn’t been expecting that sort of confession, and it caught him off guard. He wrapped his arm around Minhyuk’s shoulder and stayed silent. Instead of responding, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss to the corner of Minhyuk’s mouth.

“I’d do anything for you,” He said, pulling back with a soft smile. “And don’t worry about Kihyun. He… knows about our relationship. I explained when we first moved in together. We also have a… complicated relationship. I promise I’ll explain when things aren’t so hectic, okay?”

“I believe you,” Minhyuk smiled and stood, adjusting the shirt so it fell to his knees properly. “Let’s get some breakfast.”

“Sounds good.” Hyunwoo stood and started towards the door when Minhyuk stopped him with a hand on the arm again.

“Wait, one more thing,” he said, suddenly sounding insecure for the first time since he pulled Hyunwoo into the first kiss. “Just… just once, can we go on a date? I just… shit. I just want to feel properly loved, you know? You can say no, and I’d totally understand I just… I’m sorry. This is stupid…pretend I didn’t say anything…” Minhyuk let his hand fall, but Hyunwoo caught it quickly.

“Of course Minnie,” Hyunwoo brought Minhyuk’s hand to his mouth and placed a tender kiss to the back of it. “You deserved to feel loved. Even if all I can offer is a not-date, it’ll give it my all.”

“Are you two almost finished?” Kihyun poked his head in. He saw the way Hyunwoo was holding Minhyuk and didn’t even bat an eye. “I’m about thirty seconds from throwing your food out so I can clean everything up.”

“We’re coming,” Minhyuk grinned brightly, and Kihyun couldn’t help but return it. Minhyuk just had that kind of smile that lit up the entire room no matter what. Hyunwoo passed by and placed a soft kiss on Kihyun’s forehead. As Minhyuk passed by, he stopped and faced the other man. “Hey Kihyun? Thank you, for taking care of Hyunwoo… I know we have a weird relationship but-”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Kihyun cut him off with a warm smile of his own. “I care about Hyunwoo, and I care about you. I get that there are some things that are unconventional but that’s alright.”

“Guys? Which plate is mine?” Hyunwoo called from the kitchen.

“The one with the darker toast.” Kihyun called back.

“What kind of freak likes burnt toast?” Minhyuk muttered under his breath.

“Honestly though,” Kihyun snickered as they made their way to the kitchen. “I almost broke the lease when I found out he burns his toast purposely.”

“I can hear you talking about me,” Hyunwoo met them half way with a piece of toast dangling from his lips. “And honestly I’m a little hurt.”

“So when are you going on your not-date?” Kihyun asked easily as he took a seat next to Hyunwoo. Minhyuk didn’t miss how he seemed to lean into the larger man’s side.

“After breakfast,” Hyunwoo said easily. “I want to take him someplace special this afternoon. We’re going to have to go back to the apartment tonight to talk to Jooheon. Granted, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, but I know you and I know the longer this festers, the worse it’s going to be for everyone.”

“Sometimes I hate how well you know me.” Minhyuk grumbled into his own – lightly toasted – toast.

“Yeah, well, that’s what you get when you sleep with your best friend.” Kihyun said, shocking Minhyuk and Hyunwoo alike.

“Eat your food.” Minhyuk hid his blush behind a large bite.

* * *

  
“Where are we going?” Minhyuk asked for the third time. He and Hyunwoo started walking after the finished breakfast and gotten changed, but the elder gave no indication what direction they were heading in.

“I said you’ll see.” Hyunwoo smiled, his eyes scrunching up. He squeezed Minhyuk’s hand comfortingly and continued leading the younger boy towards the park. They walked in silence for a moment before Hyunwoo stopped abruptly, causing Minhyuk to bump into his shoulder. Before Minhyuk could ask why they stopped, Hyunwoo kissed him gently.

Minhyuk blushed red and blinked up at him. As close as they were, he just wasn’t used to affection being given to willingly – in public nonetheless.

Hyunwoo just smiled again and started walking again, ignoring the wide-eyed look Minhyuk was giving him.

“The park?” Minhyuk asked when he saw the gates in the distance.

“They added a new feature, and when I heard of it I thought of you. I figured it would be perfect for our date today.” Hyunwoo’s eyes glittered with mischief and it made Minhyuk’s heart flutter in his chest.

“What is it?”

“You’ll just have to see.”

“Meanie.” Minhyuk pouted but followed Hyunwoo through the winding paths, hands clasped tightly. Hyunwoo lead him past joggers and people walking their dogs, making sure to stop and let Minhyuk say hello to each and every dog they passed. They even passed someone with a cat in a harness, and Minhyuk almost tore Hyunwoo’s arm out of his socket in excitement.

“Here, stand here for me? And hand me your phone.” Hyunwoo asked when they reached an open space. The trees had been cleared away and a concrete area about the ten feet by ten feet had replaced it. People were mulling around the benches placed around the area, almost as if they were waiting for something.

“Alright?” Minhyuk agreed reluctantly, not wanting to let go of Hyunwoo’s hand. Hyunwoo took three steps backs and looked at his friend with such fondness it made the sun seem weak. He placed their phones and wallets on a nearby bench along with the light jacket he brought in case Minhyuk got cold. “What’s going to-?”

He was cut off by a stream of water shooting up his back. Minhyuk yelped and tried to move away but he was hit by another, directly in the face. All around him, streams of water were shooting up from the concrete. The sounds of children’s laughter filled the air as they joined Minhyuk in the new fountain as Minhyuk looked at Hyunwoo with complete disbelief.

“You-” He tried sounding mad but couldn’t stop the wide grin that spread across his face. He shook his head, causing his hair to splash Hyunwoo even at the slight distance the elder put between them. Minhyuk lunged forward and dragged Hyunwoo directly into a water stream. The elder looked shocked for a second before grinning and grabbing Minhyuk by the waist, twirling him so they were both soaking wet.

Hyunwoo pulled Minhyuk close, hands on his waist, and kissed him deeply. The water jets continued to hit their backs, but neither seemed to care. Minhyuk was the first to pull away, giggling at the sounds of kids squealing and rested his forehead against Hyunwoo’s.

“Thank you,” He whispered, smiling wider as Hyunwoo kept placing small kisses to his cheeks. “For all of this. It was perfect.”

“Now all you need is to find someone who knows you’re just as perfect,” Hyunwoo whispered, his tone only a little sad. Minhyuk was so special to him, and it killed him that the younger boy felt unloved. “And I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”

Minhyuk leaned in to kiss Hyunwoo again, savoring the feeling of being held while he could. He knew as soon as the day ended, he was going to go back to being alone, so he was going to take every moment Hyunwoo gave him. While they were lost in each other, they didn’t notice two figures frozen on the path.

“Oh my god…” Jooheon said with faint horror in his voice.

“Looks like Hyunwoo hyung stole your man.” Changkyun chimed in, only a little proud of Minhyuk for being more than okay.

“He told me there was nothing serious between them?”

“Who knows, maybe there isn’t,” Changkyun, always the voice of reason, said. “You and I had a thing for a while and it wasn’t serious.”

“I guess… but look at how happy he looks,” He watched Minhyuk giggle as he pulled away from the kiss. Minhyuk pulled away completely, hands still in Hyunwoo’s, and tugged the older man through the fountain jets. His unique laughter filled the air and it made Jooheon’s chest tighten. “If there really is something between them, why should I break that up? I could never make him that happy.”

“Oh my god hyung, are you blind?” Changkyun rolled his eyes, not caring about how disrespectful he was being. “Why would Minhyuk hyung do ninety perfect of the shit he does for you if he didn’t care about you? Why would he stay up late every night waiting for you? Why would he make your favorite meals when you know he’s not great at cooking? Why would he risk his life for you-?”

“I get it,” Jooheon closed his eyes tightly. “I just… I don’t deserve him, okay? I don’t deserve him taking care of me and cooking me meals and… and I don’t deserve his love… but I’m selfish and I want him back.”

“Thank god you’re the one to say it,” Changkyun slung his arm over Jooheon’s shoulders. “Cuz I didn’t want to be the one to drop that bomb on you.”

“What am I going to do?”

“You can always go over there and pull him away and confess your love all dramatically,” Changkyun suggested with only a little sarcasm. “It would be straight from a show.”

“I can’t do that,” Jooheon whispered, his heart dropping to his stomach. “Look at how happy he is…”

He watched As Hyunwoo lifted Minhyuk easily and spin him around. As soon as Minhyuk’s feet touched the wet ground, he stumbled and Hyunwoo caught him carefully. Jooheon could see him whisper something – most likely an apology, knowing Hyunwoo – before a little girl ran up to them and splashed them both. They returned the fire, splashing her and causing her to laugh even louder. Minhyuk was positively glowing.

“You can’t let this go on-”

“Let’s just go home Changkyun,” Jooheon sounded heart broken, and it hurt Changkyun more than he let on. The youngest looked between his best friend and his hyungs in the fountain before quickly running to keep up with Jooheon. “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

He sounded anything but fine.

* * *

  
“Are you tired? Want me to carry you?” Hyunwoo asked. After the fountain show ended and the children started to leave, the two laid in the sun to dry off.

They talked and laughed and pointed out shapes in the clouds. Others might think it was boring, but to Minhyuk it was absolutely perfect. By the time they got up, they were only slightly damp and starving.

“I can walk,” Minhyuk giggled but still leaned into Hyunwoo’s side as they walked towards their favorite noodle shop. “Today has been perfect.”

“I’m glad,” Hyunwoo kissed his forehead before holding the door open for the smaller boy. “You only deserve the best.”

“Too bad Kihyun already has the best,” He stuck his tongue out at Hyunwoo, who blushed bright red at the mention of the other boy. “Now, I’m starving. What did you want to get-?”

He was cut off by his phone ringing. He glanced down, wondering who was calling. Normally, the only people who called were Hyunwoo, Jooheon or Jaehwan. Hyunwoo obviously wasn’t calling him seeing how he was directly across the table. Jaehwan had a custom ring tone that he had explicitly picked when they exchanged contacts, so it wasn’t him and Jooheon…. Minhyuk wasn’t expecting anything from Jooheon for a while longer.

“Hello-?”

“He’s g-gone! Minhyuk hyung he’s gone,” It was Changkyun, sobbing into the phone. “I swear I didn’t mean to fall asleep! I shouldn’t have fallen asleep and– and when I woke up the apartment was empty and – and there was note and shit… fuck he’s gone! I don’t- I don’t know where he went and I’m so fucking scared… what if he doesn’t c-come back?”

“I’ll be right there,” Minhyuk was already standing, brushing past the worker who was on his way to take their order. “It’ll be okay Changkyun. Jooheon is a brat, but he’s strong. He’ll be fine. I’m on my way okay? Calm down and wait for me.”

“What’s going on?” Hyunwoo raced after Minhyuk, who was all but running down the sidewalk.

“It’s Jooheon,” he said, fighting back tears. “Changkyun called. He’s missing and Kyunnie is freaking out…”

“Let’s go.” Hyunwoo understood instantly and took Minhyuk’s hand. The two sprinted down the sidewalk all the way to Minhyuk’s apartment.  
Minhyuk didn’t even have to take out his key because the second Changkyun heard their voices, he threw open the door and fell into Minhyuk’s arms.

“Oh my god hyung what am I going to do?” he sobbed, clinging to the older boy as if his life depended on it. “What if he doesn’t come home this time?”

“He’ll be fine,” Minhyuk comforted him. “You said there was a note?”

“On the counter.” Changkyun slid from Minhyuk’s arms and into Hyunwoo’s, the eldest instantly going into comfort mode. Minhyuk went over and instantly saw the piece of paper with Jooheon’s familiar writing.

_Kyun, I’m going out for a bit. I need answers, and there’s only one place I can go for that. Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. –Jooheon_

“That bastard…” Minhyuk growled, crumpling up the note. “Kyunnie, what does he mean answers?”

“We saw you at the park today,” Changkyun sniffled, his face blotchy and voice scratchy. “We were trying to figure out a way for him to apologize for last night and he saw you with Hyunwoo in the fountain… He got really quiet… when we got back we watched a movie and I fell asleep and when I woke up he was gone…”

“Do you know where he could have gone?”

“No clue… he never really talks about what happened, but I think he’s still involved in all of that from last summer.”

“Shit…” Minhyuk’s heart dropped. He knew who to call, but he hesitated. He was fine when he was alone, but things got more… dangerous with Hyunwoo and Changkyun involved. “Okay, I have an idea. Hyunwoo hyung, take Changkyun back to your apartment for the night? He can use the stuff in my suitcase.”

“What are you going to do?” Hyunwoo didn’t like anything about the situation. He didn’t like that Jooheon was missing, and he certainly didn’t like the serious tone his friend was using. Minhyuk was known for being goofy and light hearted. Hearing such a scary tone from the smaller boy shook Hyunwoo to the core.

“I know someone who can help me find Jooheon, but it’s important I’m alone,” Minhyuk couldn’t meet either of the pairs of eyes fixed on him. “I… I can’t explain, but I promise I’m going to be okay. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Minhyuk-”

“I’ll be fine Woonie. You trust me, right?” He smiled up at Hyunwoo, and the elder found himself unable to say no.

“Please,” He pulled Minhyuk close and rested his forehead against the smaller boy’s. “Please be safe. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you…”

“This won’t be like last summer, I swear,” Minhyuk kissed Hyunwoo one last time, knowing their day together was officially over. “I wanted to fuck one more time before this was all done but duty calls I guess.”

His attempt at a joke worked, and Hyunwoo snorted slightly.

“Call me later.” Hyunwoo kissed him again before straitening up and placing a hand on Changkyun’s back. Minhyuk waited until he saw Kihyun’s car come into the parking lot and pick the two up before pulling out his phone. The other person picked up on the second ring.

“Minmin! You never call anymore!” The pout was evident in the person’s words and Minhyuk had to fight the faint smile on his face.

“I need your help Jaehwan hyung,” He said, the seriousness of his tone causing Jaehwan to drop his joking manner. “How soon can you get to my apartment?”

“Give me three minutes.” And the line went dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we get to see what Jooheon did that was so bad it almost cost Minhyuk his life, and we get to meet Minhyuk's mysterious friends... 
> 
> on a less fun note, my computer is acting like a little bitchbaby so even through I have oodles of free time now, I can't guarantee i can post all that much.  
> If anyone wants to talk to me about my fics, or about anything in general, hit me up on twitter @25boyfriends i love making friends and literally all you have to do is message me with something random and I'll talk to you about it.


	3. Chapter 3

Jaehwan was good to his word. Minhyuk heard a knock at his window exactly three minutes on the dot after the call was ended. He opened the window and extended an invitation before taking a step back as the other male entered as gracefully as if he was entering through the front door. Nothing seemed to phase Jaehwan, and nothing seemed to catch him off guard.

“Something smells…” He trailed off, looking around the apartment. “Familiar.”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Minhyuk felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. He didn’t know why he called Jaehwan of all people. The older man was… a bit much sometimes.

“I like the place,” He said, looking around. “You never let me in before. I was curious to see how my Minmin would decorate his home.”

“Jaehwan, my roommate is missing and you’re the best person to help me find him.” Minhyuk said, getting straight to the point. Jaehwan blinked slowly at him, his dark pupils not giving away anything the man might be thinking.

“Okay,” He chirped happily after a moment. “Though Wonshikkie is better at tracking than me. He says I get too distracted.”

“Alright, I guess we’ll have to go find him.” Minhyuk said uneasily. While he kept in contact with Jaehwan and Sanhyuk, the others he hadn’t spoken to since the previous summer.

“They miss you, you know,” Jaehwan said softly, his playful tone almost completely gone. “They won’t say anything, but I can tell. You brought more life to the house than anything in what feels like centuries.”

“I miss you guys too,” Minhyuk said earnestly. “I just… it’s dangerous to be in contact. Especially after what happened…

“I’m still sorry about that,” Jaehwan went over to Minhyuk and rested his forehead against the younger boy’s neck. He listened to Minhyuk’s heartbeat for a moment in silence, savoring the sound. “If I had known messing with those rouges would have caused so much trouble I never would have started that petty fight.”

“It’s in the past hyung,” Minhyuk rested his head against Jaehwan’s, not bothered anymore at the other man’s cool skin. “What’s important now is that we find-”

“Your roommate right?” Jaehwan perked up a little, not moving his head from Minhyuk’s neck. Minhyuk shivered a little as he felt Jaehwan’s teeth scrape his skin unintentionally. “He’s the same one that got you in trouble last time?”

“Yeah… he’s trouble alright.” Minhyuk chuckled but felt his chest clench.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him for you,” Jaehwan stood upright and smoothed down Minhyuk’s hair in an attempt to comfort him. “Just grab something of his. Preferably something you haven’t been in contact with much. There’s so much of… you around that I can barely pick out the other scent. It’s still really familiar though…” He scrunched his nose cutely.

“Give me two minutes.” Minhyuk raced to Jooheon’s room and found one of his favorite sweatshirts tossed over the back of his desk chair. Touching it a little as possible, he folded it and started to walk out when something else caught his eye.

It was another one of Jooheon’s favorite hoodies. It was the one Minhyuk had given him for his birthday a year and a half previous. Hesitating only a moment, Minhyuk put the first sweatshirt down and slipped the second over his own head. Jooheon’s familiar scent comforted him instantly, and he felt himself tearing up.

If Wonshik wasn’t able to find Jooheon, it really was too late. It would be too late, and the last thing Minhyuk would have said to him was that he was just his roommate and nothing more.

Minhyuk wiped his tears from his cheeks with the long sleeves of the jacket and picked up the other without touching it – Jooheon always wore sweatshirts large, so they were extra-large on Minhyuk.

“You got something?” Jaehwan asked as Minhyuk exited the room. He saw how red Minhyuk’s eyes were, but though better than to comment on it.

“Let’s hurry,” Minhyuk said, his voice cracking a little from the effort of holding back his tears. “We have to find him before it’s too late.”

“We’ll find him. Don’t worry.” Jaehwan felt his heart break at how desperate his friend sounded. Minhyuk shook his head.

“I barely got him back last time,” he whispered, a tear running down and falling into the fabric of the sweatshirt. “I’m afraid to tempt fate a second time.”

“Come one Minmin, let’s go home,” Jaehwan went over to the window and held his hand out for Minhyuk. A year ago, Minhyuk would have refused the other man but now he knew better. He took Jaehwan’s hand and felt himself being tugged out the window. He stared down at the eight story drop for just a moment before the air around him seemed to twist and they were safely on the ground. Minhyuk looked up and saw his curtain flapping in the wind and decided that leaving the window open for an evening wouldn’t kill anyone.

Jaehwan quickly scooped Minhyuk into his arms, quite like the way Hyunwoo had held him earlier that day. His arms wrapped around Jaehwan and he buried his face in the older man’s neck as Jaehwan took off running.

Had Jaehwan been human, there would be no way he would be able to carry Minhyuk and run as fast as he was. Had Jaehwan been human, he wouldn’t have been able to run that fast in the first place. Trees and building sped past like they were nothing as they hurried through the town.

Maybe, if Jaehwan had been human, he and Minhyuk’s other friends would have gotten along. At the same time, had he been human Minhyuk would have been dead.

It was Jaehwan who found him, bleeding out and on death’s doorstep the summer before. He hadn’t mean to get into a fight, but all Minhyuk saw was Jooheon being cornered by three figures and he stopped thinking. The only thing on his mind was to protect his friend.

_Minhyuk didn’t remember much from the fight. He threw punches left and right, throwing his body inbetween the attackers and the hits meant for Jooheon. He went into autopilot, his only task to protect. He remembered a stabbing pain in his neck and the world spinning dangerously, and suddenly he was being taken somewhere. He could faintly recall hearing Jooheon call his name, but he quickly lost consciousness._

_He had opened his eyes to see a handsome face staring back at him, the man’s own eyes glowing red. The man’s red eyes widened in shock when he realized Minhyuk had woken up. He quickly stood and called to someone Minhyuk couldn’t see._

_“N hyung, I think he’s still alive.”_

_“What? They’ve never left someone alive before…” Another face came into view, even more handsome than the first._

_“He’ll be dead soon if he leave him any longer.” A third, softer voice chimed in._

_“Leo hyung is right,” The first voice said. “I can hear his heart beat slowing.”_

_“Bring him back to the house,” The second voice – N hyung, as the first voice called him – said, a hint of empathy in his words. “Hyuk and Bin might be a problem but Ravi can deal with them.”_

_“Okay kid, this might hurt… a lot,” The first voice said softly, right next to Minhyuk’s ear. Hands were suddenly under him, and Minhyuk couldn’t hold back the cry of agony that erupted from his chest as his wounds were jostled. “Ah shit, I’m sorry… it’ll be okay though. We’ll take good care of you.” As the person holding him started to move, the pain became so intense that Minhyuk felt himself passing out again._

_The last thing on his mind was a faint thought of Jooheon._

“Minmin? We’re here,” Jaehwan’s voice broke Minhyuk of the memory. “Shikkie is home for once, so we’re extra lucky. Apparently Hakyeon hyung’s newest pupil is also here. I haven’t talked with him much, but he’s a weird one.”

Minhyuk knew Jaehwan rambled a bit when he was nervous. Minhyuk was nervous too. This was the first time he’d be seeing the others since he left with the promise to visit.

The house was just that, a house. There was nothing special about it, unless you noticed the blackout curtains on almost all the windows. Other than that, there was nothing to give away that five vampires lived there. Jaehwan opened the door and called out in a sing song voice.

“Oh honey! We’re home!” He sang, his voice belting the impromptu notes beautifully.

“Jaehwan hyung? Where did you go?” Sanhyuk met them at the front door looking confused for a split second before his face broke into a wide grin. While he was still three times Minhyuk’s age, he was the youngest of the coven and occasionally had trouble keeping his fangs in when he got excited. They glinted in the light as he rushed over to them.

“Hyuk hyung, it’s good to see you again.” Minhyuk said as the young vamp crushed him in a hug.

“Ugh, I’ve missed you,” Hyuk buried his nose in Minhyuk’s hair. He quickly pulled back with a weird expression. “You smell different.”

“He’s wearing his roommate’s hoodie,” Jaehwan chimed in. “It’s the one he likes but won’t admit to it.”

“Hey!” Minhyuk cried, feeling extremely attacked by the comment.

“What? It’s true. The only reason I could tell is because you were crying over him in your sleep…” Jaehwan pouted.

“I did not-” Minhyuk went to defend himself when a new voice interrupted.

“Minhyuk?”

The boy turned and felt his blood run cold.

“Jooheon?”

“Get away from him!” Jooheon yelled as he barreled towards Minhyuk. He threw himself between Minhyuk and the two vamps, staring Sanhyuk and Jaehwan down as if his glare alone could kill them.

“Jooheon, it’s fine,” Minhyuk placed a hand on his shoulder. “They’re my friends-”

“You don’t understand hyung,” He didn’t take his eyes off the others. “They aren’t what they look like-”

“Did I hear…?” Hakyeon joined the small group by the front door. He locked eyes with Minhyuk and his face broke into a bright grin. “Oh my god Minmin! Here I thought you were never going to come back!”

He rushed forward and pushed Jooheon out of the way so he could pull Minhyuk into a tight hug. Jooheon stumbled away with a shocked expression and an indignant splutter.

“Come back?” Jooheon echoed weakly. His face hardened quickly. “Wait, ‘Minmin’? What the hell is going on here?”

“I could be asking you the same question!” Minhyuk cried from Hakyeon’s embrace. The elder vampire had moved so he was holding Minhyuk from behind, resting his cheek on the human’s head – using his height as an advantage. “Do you have any idea how fucking scared Changkyun was when he woke up and you were gone? He called me sobbing, Jooheon. Sobbing! You know that boy doesn’t cry easily. And you ended up here of all places? How did you even know about this place? There’s a glamor over it for god’s sake! Are you telling me this is where you’ve been sneaking off to? How in the world did you come home so bruised if you were here?”

Minhyuk wasn’t able to finish his question bombardment because he suddenly found himself ripped from Hakyeon’s grip and had strong, familiar arms wrapped around his waist. He could feel Jooheon saying something, his lips silently moving against his neck. It wasn’t until he felt tears on his shoulder that he made Jooheon pull away. He continued to whisper as his fingers ghosted over the bruise on Minhyuk’s cheek, but it wasn’t until the younger boy choked on a sob that Minhyuk understood what he was saying  

“I’m so sorry Minhyuk,” He whispered, tears running down his face. “I- fuck. I never should have said those things to you. I just… things are getting dangerous, and I can’t let you get hurt again… I figured it would hurt less to drive you away than it would be to bury you.”

“You… you fucking idiot! I can take care of myself,” Minhyuk was fighting back his own tears. “You had no right to – to make that decision for me. What if I wanted to be a part of all this? A part of your life? Huh?”

“Wait… what?” Jooheon pulled back, his eyebrows scrunching in adorable confusion.

“Fuck, I guess you’re just as blind as I am.” Minhyuk wiped his face with his sleeves before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on Jooheon’s slightly open mouth. Jooheon didn’t move at first, but quickly pushed back when he realized Minhyuk – his Minhyuk – was actually kissing him. Any though of Minhyuk with Hyunwoo fled Jooheon’s mind as he felt Minhyuk take his hands.

They quickly pulled away when someone started clapping and whistling. Looking around, Minhyuk instantly glared at Jaehwan, who sheepishly stopped and let his hands fall to his sides. The vamp bit his lip and started looking at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen in his four hundred years of existing.

“Wait, okay,” Jooheon was finally trying to grasp the situation. “So, you know about N and everyone… but how did you get here?”

“Jaehwan carried me,” Minhyuk said, still holding onto Jooheon’s hands tightly. “We were going to search for you, because I was scared you wouldn’t come home…”

“Jaehwan…?” He looked around until he made eye contact with the man in question. Jaehwan offered a shy wave and a cute smile. “You mean Ken? Is that who you’ve been talking about this whole time? All the times you’ve met up with Jaehwan, you meant him?” Jooheon looked like he was about to pass out from the revelation.

“If that’s shocking, you’re going to shit your pants when I tell you Sanhyuk is also one of the vamps here.” Minhyuk giggled a little as he watched Jooheon’s head whip around to stare at the youngest, who simply shrugged.

“Does everyone have different names?” Jooheon asked faintly, pulling a hand from Minhyuk’s and running it through his hair.

“Hongbinnie is the only one that kept his human name for the most part,” Jaehwan said easily, winking towards Minhyuk who flushed a bit – he still wasn’t used to Jaehwan flirting with him at every given moment. “We gave ours to Minhyuk because he was cute.”

“Excuse me?” Jooheon raised an eyebrow and pulled Minhyuk closer to him.

“Hey, don’t get possessive now,” Hyuk pouted. “You were the one who left him, remember?”

“I…” Jooheon’s chest deflated. “I never meant to…”

“It’s alright. It’s payback for disappearing last summer, right?” Minhyuk tried to joke, but the pained look on Jooheon’s face at the mention of the year before broke his heart.

“You never did explain what happened then…” He muttered, staring at his and Minhyuk’s intertwined fingers.

“Why don’t we move into the living room?” Hakyeon suggested. “I didn’t spent a century gathering furniture that matches perfectly just for guests to wait by the front door.” The group started towards the living room when Jooheon leaned close to Minhyuk.

“Is that my sweatshirt?” He asked, a playful smile tugging at his mouth. Minhyuk flushed even redder and tugged at the hem with his free hand.

“I needed something for them to track you with,” He said, nodding towards the jackets Jaehwan was holding. When Jooheon tugged at the string around his neck, he blushed fully. “I missed you… okay?” His voice dropped to a whisper and Jooheon felt his heart skip a beat.

“I missed you too,” He whispered back. “I’m so sorry, about everything.”

Jooheon cursed under his breath quickly before pulling Minhyuk into a deep kiss. Minhyuk instantly melted into the embrace, letting Jooheon run his tongue along the elder boy’s lip happily. Minhyuk couldn’t hold back a light moan as Jooheon bit his lip gently. Just as Minhyuk let his fingers settle under Jooheon’s shirt, a voice called back to them.

“Stop fucking in my doorway!” Hakyeon yelled, followed by the howls and cheets from the others.

“Fuck off!” Minhyuk screamed back, angrily tearing himself away from Jooheon, who blushed beet red and giggled a little. Minhyuk gripped the back of Jooheon’s head, crashing their lips together again roughly before pulling away with a gasp. “I finally got to kiss you and they’re trying to cock block me…”

“Minhyuk hyung… We need to talk,” Jooheon whispered, knowing fully well that the others could hear them. “About what happened last summer… especially now that I know you know about them. How did you about them? How did you meet? Why didn’t they attack you? Why did they let you go? Why did they tell you their real names? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Stop bombarding him,” Jaehwan came back, poking his head back through the doorway looking amused. “He’ll have time to explain later. Binnie is back, and apparently there’s news about the rouges again. They’re back, and it seems they haven’t quite forgiven us for last summer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who would have guessed it was vampires? I adore Vixx, and they just fit so well in the whole Vamp setting that I had to do it to 'em.  
> The next chapter is going to be a good amount of exposition, some flashbacks, possibly a not-so-graphic smut scene. I haven't decided on the last one yet to be honest. 
> 
> On an unrelated note, this might be one of my first fics that don't involve self harm or depression... yet. I never cease to amaze me with how quickly I can hurt the characters I love...


	4. Chapter 4

The silence in the room was suffocating. No one knew how to start the conversation, so Minhyuk resorted to looking around the room.

Hakyeon was right, the furniture in the living room matched perfectly, right down to the intricate carvings that covered the legs of the couches, tables and chairs.

“So...” Wonshik started, breaking the silence. “What are we going to do about these rouges?”

“Well, I overheard whispers at the blood bank and apparently there’s someone out there that’s been asking around about us. Us, if we’ve gotten a new member... I think they’re going after Minmin which was surprising since Jaehwan Hyung was the reason they attacked in the first place.” Hongbin said almost hesitantly.

“It was just a petty argument,” Jaehwan spat, more against at himself than anyone else. “I swear if I had known... I just wanted some excitement! How was I supposed to know they were so attached to that business guy? He was hypnotized and everything! I figured they were just gonna play with him before killing him... if I had known breaking the illusion would have caused so many problems I never would have looked in the guy’s direction.”

“We know Jaehwan. You did what you thought was right.” Hakyeon tried to comfort the younger vamp.

“But it wasn’t because I thought it was right!” Jaehwan all but yelled, sounding close to tears. “I just... I wanted to fuck with them. You were all so busy and I wanted some excitement. This is all my fault...”

“Hey, don’t blame yourself Hyung,” Sanhyuk said quickly, taking Jaehwan’s hand. “Any of us could have done the same thing.”

“So what are we going to do about these two?” Taekwoon chimed in for the first time. “It’s pretty obvious Minhyuk is their target, and it’s obvious that the other human isn’t going to leave his side any time soon. If we’re going to get and get information, we need all our strengths.”

“What if they stay here for now?” Wonshik put out. “That way only one of us can stay here and the others can go out.”

“I can stay,” Jaehwan instantly offered, avoiding eye contact with everyone. “This is my fault, so they’re going to be looking for me. If I’m out, they’ll try to attack before we can figure everything out.”

“I think that would work best,” Hakyeon agreed, giving Jaehwan a soft smile. “We’ll be off at sunrise.”

“Sunrise? Don’t you mean sunset?” Jooheon spoke up for the first time since sitting down. The other seven in the room laughed as he stared, confused, between them.

“That’s just a myth,” Sanhyuk grinned at the boy. “We don’t burn in the sun, we just lose some of our powers.”

“So we won’t be as fast or strong, but we’re still better than humans.” Hakyeon grinned, causing another round of laughter.

“I know you have to get ready, so I’ll take Honey to my old room. If you need anything from me... let me know. I’ll be fine.” Minhyuk smiled and took Jooheon’s hand. Before they even left the room, the others were planning what they needed to do.

“Hyung, what did you mean?”

“What?”

“What you said just now. What could they need from you?” Jooheon had a feeling, but he wanted Minhyuk to deny it.

“Probably what you’re thinking,” he said, not looking Jooheon in the eye. “I’m strong and healthy, and they’ll need blood to stay safe. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

Minhyuk could feel Jooheon tense at the confession but the younger boy didn’t speak. The elder tightened the hold he had on Jooheon’s hand as they walked towards a familiar room.

Nothing had changed. Everything was exactly the same from when Minhyuk was recovering the summer before, down to the comforter with the stain from when Jaehwan tried to feed him soup but didn’t realize it was hot, spilling it all over Minhyuk’s lap.

Minhyuk went over to the dresser and pulled out some shirts that Sanhyuk had given him. He silently handed Jooheon one of the large shirts before stripping his own clothing without hesitation.

“Hyung, we have to talk.” Jooheon said quietly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Yeah... I suppose we do.” Minhyuk sounded hesitant. He had worked hard the last year, making sure no one found out anything that happened so the idea of spilling everything - to the one person he needed to protect - made him nervous.

“Is everything alright?” Jaehwan poked his head in, looking uncomfortable. “The others left already. Hakyeon Hyung said to say thanks for the offer, but they fed the other day and they didn’t want to put any more stress on you than they already have.”

“Thanks Jaehwan Hyung,” Minhyuk smiles warmly, and some of the worry in the vampire’s soft features melted. “The offer is for you too, if you need it.”

“Ah, I’ve caused enough trouble,” he said sheepishly. “Plus, I don’t think Jooheon would be too happy if I put my mouth on you now.” He couldn’t hide the slightly smug smile on his face as the younger human in question flushed and looked away.

“We’ll see you in the morning Jaehwan Hyung,” Minhyuk couldn’t hide the pleased smile on his own face. “Don’t worry too much about the others. They’re going to be okay.”

“Night Minmin,” Jaehwan blew him a kiss from the doorway. “Don’t let the humans bite. Too much.” With a final wink, he closed the door. The two boys could hear him laughing at his own joke as he walked away.

Jooheon and Minhyuk sat in awkward silence for a moment before the elder moved, crawling into Jooheon’s lap and letting the younger boy wrap his arms around him. He let Jooheon’s warmth comfort him for a moment before taking a deep breath.

“How much do you remember?” He asked carefully. “From the night I disappeared.”

“Those vamps, I guess they were rouges... they came up to me and pulled me into an ally. They said I smelled like Ken and started getting angrier and angrier. They were talking about killing me to get back at him, arguing about kidnapping me...” he paused, staring straight ahead but not seeing anything. “Then you showed up. You pushed them aside, and starting throwing punches. They... fuck. They beat the shit out of you and there was nothing I could do because every time I tried to help you I got shoved away. Then they just... took you and ran away. I tried chasing after you but they were so fast and it hurt to move. I passed out, and the next thing I knew Changkyun was sleeping next to me in my bed and I was covered in bandages.”

“Well, after they took me away they dumped me in some alleyway. I guess they figured I’d die sooner rather than later and it was too much work to deal with the body,” Minhyuk rested his head against Jooheon's neck. He didn't realize how comforting the sound of the other boy's heartbeat was until he paced his own breathing with it. "I passed out, and when I woke up there was someone standing over me. He talked to some others and when he picked me up the pain was so bad that I passed out again. The second time I woke up, I was in this room... all my wounds were bandaged and I felt like I had been run over by a bus. I, well I didn't know how much time had passed because the curtains were drawn and it hurt too much to move. Just as I started panicking, Jaehwan hyung came in and tried to feed me soup. It was so hot that I scalded by tongue and spilled it all down the both of us," He giggled a little. Jooheon started tracing his fingers along Minhyuk's spine, feeling a sinking in his stomach as each vertebrae stuck out. When had the older boy gotten so thin? "That's... that's where I was for the three weeks. Hakyeon hyung instantly started mothering me. He wouldn't let me walk without him fluttering around me, worried my frail human heart was going to give out if I took more than three steps on my own. I wanted to come home sooner, but the rouges were still around and they didn't want me leaving the house until they knew it was safe for me. I wanted to call... I swear I did... but it was too risky. They saved my life, and I didn't want to do anything to risk theirs. Finally, after Wonshik hyung made sure to chase the rouges away, they let me go home - but not before Jaehwan hyung and Sanhyuk hyung stole my phone and added their own contacts. I'm sure the others would have too, but they were the two that took me home."

"I remember that day," Jooheon said quietly, as if he were afraid to break the atmosphere. "You looked like you had seen a ghost."

"You understand now why I was so... off when you kept asking. I'm sorry I kept brushing you off, but I couldn't put you or them at risk." Minhyuk felt a tear run down his face. He felt so guilty when he came home and had to tell Jooheon to stop asking where he had been. He wanted nothing more to throw himself into the other boy's arms and spill his guts, but all he could do was say 'if you care about me at all, you'll let it drop okay?' and pretend seeing the hurt flash across Jooheon's face didn't cut him to the core.

"I understand now..." Jooheon was silent before Minhyuk felt something drop into his hair. He looked up and saw tears running down the younger boy's face as well. "This is all my fault... you never would have gotten hurt if it weren't for me."

"Please don't blame yourself. I could have not gotten involved, but I loved you too much to walk away. Besides, I met some amazing people because of what happened." Minhyuk offered lightly, and it caused Jooheon to chuckle.

"I suppose I owe you an explanation too."

"Not if you don't want to," Minhyuk yawned. "I trust you got involved for a good reason."

"No, you deserve to know. I heard talk about some doctors that knew more than anything medical school could even think of. It took me months to get a lead, but I... I needed to know. I needed to know what they did, how they did it... when I found them, I was more than a little shocked. N offered to teach me in exchange for running errands for him. He said there were places he couldn’t go, and said if I was like a messenger for them, he would repay me with lessons. He's taught me so much that I never would have even thought to question. I never... I never thought there was any danger of anyone getting hurt. It was innocent enough... I just wanted to know more... God, if I had known you would have- shit. I never would have tried to find them. It's... it's not worth the danger I've put you in..."

"Don't say that Honey," Minhyuk sat up and cupped Jooheon's face gently. "I know how much becoming a doctor means to you. Losing your sister was... devastating. I've seen you grow and become more and more dedicated to finding a way to save those like her. I never would have stopped you from trying to reach your goal no matter what, even if it meant what happened last summer happened again. You mean the world to me, and you're the most important out of anyone."

Jooheon all but threw Minhyuk onto the bed, pinning the older boy's arms above his head. He stared down at Minhyuk, feeling his heart beat louder and louder as Minhyuk's eyes widened. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss to the other's lips and felt his own breath catch. He pulled back, leaving only and inch between their mouths.

"Please," He whispered, his breath fanning against Minhyuk's lips. "Please never say that again. You're so, so, so important to me. I would give you the world if I could, but all I can give you is, well, me."

"That's all I could ever need." Minhyuk lifted his mouth to meet Jooheon's once again. He lost himself in the smile he felt pressed again his own, and he wished he never had to let this moment slip through his fingers. He quickly found himself falling asleep in Jooheon's arms. Before he completely drifted off, Minhyuk could have sworn he heard Jooheon whisper something.

"I love you Minnie."

* * *

  
Jaehwan sat on his bed, staring down at his hands. His guilt was eating him alive, and not for the first time, he found himself regretting several things. Getting his family involved in his mistakes was the one that was the loudest, but the random chance of being turned all those years ago continued to float through his head.

He threaded his fingers through his hair and tugged painfully at the roots, hissing at the pain but tugging even harder.

“Shit… I can’t believe I let this happen again…” He whispered, tears running down his cheeks. He could hear Minhyuk and Jooheon having a heart to heart, and he felt his own heart ache. It had been so long since he had someone like that to love him…

He quickly scrubbed at his face, refusing to go down that road again. It had been almost fifty years since he had thought of Seokjin-

“Shit…” He whispered again and slammed his fist against his thigh. The sudden shot of pain up his leg cleared his mind momentarily. It gave him enough time to try and clear his thoughts, but memories kept bombarding him.

Seokjin’s fingers carding through his hair. The other man’s lips slotting against his own in such a perfect way that it caused a fire to ignite in his stomach. Seokjin shielding him when the villagers screamed at them, throwing rocks and spitting curses at their unnatural relationship. Seokjin, bleeding as a rock clipped his cheek – a rock that was aimed for Jaehwan. Seokjin, promising that one day they would meet again in a time when their love would not only be accepted, but celebrated. Seokjin, taking his final breath in Jaehwan’s arms.

Jaehwan, throwing himself into the river, the promise of seeing Seokjin the only thing keeping his going.

Jaehwan, being pulled from the river half dead.

Jaehwan feeling the worst pain in his neck that he ever thought possible.

Jaehwan, waking up and not feeling pain anymore.

He sobbed into his hands, the promise of seeing Seokjin again ripped away from him. All he wanted was to die, but Hakyeon had seen something in him that convinced the older man he was worth saving.

The murmurs from the other room had finally died down, and Jaehwan let himself fall heavily onto his pillow. He knew the night was going to be long and painful, and the sooner he fell asleep the sooner the torture would end.

* * *

  
Minhyuk woke up to an insensate buzzing sound that was really starting to piss him off. He was in the middle of a dream where he and Jooheon had gone to the beach, and the younger boy looked stunning with his tight speedo bathing suit-

The buzzing started up again and Minhyuk groaned. He rolled over, right out of Jooheon's arms, and dug around in his jeans from the day before. He was instantly awake when he saw how many missed calls and messages he had. Most were from Hyunwoo, but there were a good amount from Changkyun, Kihyun and even a few from Sahnhyuk, asking for updates from the home base. The buzzing that woke him up had been a call from Hyunwoo. Just as he was about to call the older man back, his phone lit up again. He quickly answered, his eyes burning from the sudden light.

"Hello?" His tired voice slurred.

"Oh thank god," Hyunwoo sounded close to tears. "We've been trying to get a hold of you for hours. Where are you? Did you find Jooheon?"

"Yeah...yeah I found him," His still asleep brain was having trouble keeping up. "We're... staying at a friend's house for right now. Things are a little weird, but we'll be home soon."

"Don't scare me like that again Min," Hyunwoo's voice wasn't scolding, but the pain in his words made Minhyuk's chest clench. "I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you..." The 'again' wasn't said, but the younger heard it loud and clear.

"I'm sorry hyung. I'll keep you updated." Minhyuk tried to swallow the guilt that was making him sick.

"I'll hold you to that- ah, I have to go. Kihyunnie and I have an important meeting and we're going to be late if we don't leave. Stay safe, okay?"

"I promise," Minhyuk swore. "Stay safe yourself hyung."

"Love you Min." His smile could he beard through his words.

"Love you too." Minhyuk smiled back before hanging up. He laid back down and took a moment to really look at Jooheon. While he was asleep, the younger boy didn't look nearly as intimidating. If anything, he looked adorable compared to the hot that Minhyuk loved to see during the day.

Minhyuk stared in wonder at how Jooheon's eyelashes brushed gently against his cheek. They looked so soft, just like the rest of him. Minhyuk felt a wide grin stretch across his face as he snuggled his face into the other boy's chest. Jooheon stirred a little at the sudden movement, but quickly fell back to sleep, his hand gently resting on Minhyuk's waist. The older fell back to sleep with a content smile and a feeling that - even just for the moment - everything was alright.

* * *

 

"So we got good news and bad news." Hakyeon started once everyone was back in the living room.

"Start with the bad news, so the good news seems better." Jaehwan said, sounding tired and earning a few strange looks.

"Bad news is that it seems a couple of hunters have caught onto the rouge's scent, which means they've also caught onto ours. We almost got into a fight on our way home from our meeting. If it weren't for the fact the hunters weren't expecting us, I doubt we would have made it home in one piece. They seemed very skilled, especially for how young they looked."

"There's no way the good news is going to be good after that." Jooheon muttered under his breath.

"The good news is that we have a witch on our side, which means we have the upper hand. The rogues won't have the protection or weapons we will, and we'll also have the advantage of knowing in advance when they're going to attack."

"So what do we do now?" Jaehwan asked, not sure what the information meant for them.

"We wait," Hakyeon said grimly. "And we pray that we can protect our family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I wrote most of this on my phone because my laptop has been acting up so updates are going to be sporadic and I won't be completely sure of the quality. 
> 
> It means a lot to me that everyone seems to be liking this story so far! I'm shit at estimating how long these things are going to be, so when I say I'm thinking two or three more chapters I could be completely wrong! 
> 
> Thank you for all your support and feedback! I hope I can keep living up to everyone's expectations with the upcoming chapters and future fics!


	5. Chapter 5

Hyungwon stared at his hands, the small scrape on his palm no longer bleeding. He was beside himself, embarrassed and humiliated barely covering how he was feeling. It should have been easy, but of course he had to trip. He not only put himself in danger, but put Hoseok in danger as well. If only he had been more careful - more alert. He should have sensed them a mile away, but instead he ran into them head first - literally.

He shook his head to clear the memory. The man had quickly apologized for bumping into him and offered a hand to help Hyungwon up. That's when the boy realized who they were. Despite it being the middle of the day, Hyungwon was trained to recognize the cat-like glare of a vampire's eye. Trained to note the lack of color in their face and the slight, barely noticeable way they seem to hold themselves.

The vampire quickly recognized him too, his handsome features twisting in horror as Hoseok rushed towards them. His partner almost landed a killing blow onto the tallest of their group but the vampires did something Hyungwon never expected.

They turned tail and ran away, not even looking back as they seemed to fly out of sight.

Hyungwon groaned and let his forehead slam onto the table. What kind of hunter let's a vampire run away? In broad daylight of all things?

"Stop moping Wonnie," Hoseok came out of the bathroom, wearing only a towel around his waist. "They got away. So what? We got a clear look at their faces, and we know they're hiding something important. Why else would they run away like that?"

"Still, I literally bumped into one," Hyungwon moaned, his words muffled some by the wood of the table. "What am I? A trainee? I haven't made a mistake like that since I was eleven!"

"Get changed," Hoseok said, not feeding into his friend's self loathing. "Kihyunnie finally got back to me. His meeting or whatever is finished and wants to grab coffee. Hyunwoo hyung and Changkunnie are with him."

"Coffee sounds nice..." Hyungwon mumbled, pouting like a child. Hoseok grinned but didn't respond. He was used to his friend's antics. The taller of the two let out one last groan before going to change into something more fitting for a coffee date.

* * *

  
"Okay, so what's the plan?" Jaehwan asked after a lengthy silence. Hakyeon took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before responding.

"Looks like all we can do is take care of these rouges before the hunters find us. Maybe take them out too. Whatever it takes to keep our family safe. As much of a pain it'll be if we have to leave town, it'll be worth it if it means everyone is okay."

"What can I do?" Minhyuk asked quickly. Jooheon froze next to him.

"You stay out of trouble." Hyuk said instantly, not looking at his friend.

"I reject trouble like the wrong side of a magnet." Minhyuk huffed, looking offended. Seven pairs of eyes turned to him before the room was filled with the sounds of snickers and scoffs. Minhyuk turned to Jooheon, hoping the younger boy would defend him, only to see the other human laughing along with the vampires.

"No offense hyung," Jooheon said mid chuckle. "But you seem to attract trouble without even trying."

"I do not!" He tried to defend himself, only to realize the truth behind Jooheon's words. He let his exclamation trail off bitterly, causing a new wave of laughter.

"Anyway, we talked to the witch. He said he can offer us protection and info, as long as we provide him with blood for his experiments." Leo said, a small smile still on his face.

"He? I thought witches were girls." Jooheon whispered more to Minhyuk than anyone else.

"Traditionally, yes," Hakyeon answered, adopting his teaching voice that Jooheon was all too familiar with. "But after the 16th century, witches and warlocks began to split, and their magic evolved into two separate species. Now, there are male witches and female warlocks. It's a matter of the type of magic they practice rather than their gender - which, in my opinion was silly to begin with. Back in my day, all that mattered was if you had the skill. It didn't matter if you had a penis, or a vagina, or both or neither! But then people started separating each other because some book told them women were supposed to be submissive... it's all bullshit if you ask me! I was setting bushes on fire years before this guy came around, but he gets a religion and I get thrown into a river! It's unfair." He ended hie rant, pouting like he was ten rather than thousands of years old.

"Does he always go on like that?" Minhyuk whispered to Jooheon.

"Yeah, but it's pretty interesting. I've learned a lot of history from his complaining." Jooheon grinned and Minhyuk felt his heart flip.

"I can hear you." Hakyeon somehow pouted even more.

"You're spending too much time with Ken hyung," Hongbin snickered. "If you keep it up, he'll lose the title of biggest baby."

"Hey! No one can be a bigger baby than me!" Jaehwan shouted before thinking. What he said dawned on him a second later and he got up to chase Hongbin. "HEY WAIT A SECOND-"

"Anyway, while Jaehwan hyung beats up Binnie again, we should plan on how to get these rouges," Wonshik said, gathering their attention again. "From the reports, it sounds like there's another with them. We don't know if it's another vamp, or a human under their control, but that complicates things either way."

"They want me right? Use me as bait." Minhyuk said as easily as he would if he was commenting on the weather. The room froze.

"Absolutely not." Jooheon and Hakyeon said simultaneously.

"We aren't putting you in danger." Taekwoon agreed.

"We've already meddled in your life enough as it is." Wonshik added.

"But I want to help," Minhyuk argued, ignoring Jooheon's whispered pleas for him to stop. "You said it yourself. Anything to keep our family safe right? Well, you guys are my family, as is Jooheon. I'd do anything to keep you safe - and I mean anything." He finished gravely, letting the meaning behind his words sink in completely.

"If you're so adamant, I'll consider it, but it'll be the last option," Wonshik said hesitantly. He could see the fire in Minhyuk's eyes and knew the human wasn't going to back down. He knew Minhyuk would take things into his own hands if they didn't let him help, just like how he got into trouble the first time.

"I'm hungry," Jaehwan said suddenly, breaking the tense atmosphere. "Minmin, help me cook."

"Alright..." Minhyuk seemed hesitant to leave the conversation, but he could see some unspoken plea in the vampire's eyes and stood, following him to the kitchen.

Something Minhyuk learned early into his stay is that vampires could eat normal food. it took them a few years of regulating blood alone before their systems could handle solid foods, much like a baby needed time with milk before he could digest solids, Hakyeon had explained.

"You must be hungry," Jaehwan said cheerily. "I noticed neither you nor your boyfriend ate last night."

"He's- he's not my boyfriend," Minhyuk stuttered, suddenly very interested in the contents of the fridge. Jaehwan hummed but didn't comment on how defensive Minhyuk had sounded. Suddenly, a thought struck the boy. "Hey, hyung?"

"Yes, my dearest friend?" Jaehwan fluttered his eyelashes dramatically, causing Minhyuk to smile. The smile quickly fell when the human started talking again.

"Jooheon said he works as an errand boy in exchange for lessons," He started carefully, a bad feeling in his stomach. "Why... why does he always come home so hurt? I know you guys would never...at least, I thought you'd never-"

"Oh god no," Jaehwan instantly went to Minhyuk's side. "We'd never hurt him. Unfortunately, we aren't the most upstanding members of the community. There are reasons there are certain places we can't go, and sometimes... sometimes Jooheonie would get into scuffs with individuals who aren't the most fond of us... We tried to tell him it wasn't worth it to defend us to those people but he wouldn't let the insults slide..."

"Of course," Minhyuk chuckled and shook his head. That was the most Jooheon thing he's heard in a long time. "He must feel awful... we had to many fights over him coming home bruised and in the end I was already involved."

"I heard you got into a fight... he came here in tears."

"He said... he said I was just a roommate to him," despite knowing it was a lie, saying it again made tears sting Minhyuk's eyes. "I know he was just saying it to keep me safe but fuck... he really knew just what to say to hurt me..."

"He loves you." Jaehwan said, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

"Is that another vampire power?" Minhyuk grinned as he sniffled. "Being able to sense pheromones or something?"

"No, he looks at you the way someone used to look at me..." Jaehwan's eyes went glassy for a moment before blinked and the spell was broken. "Anyway, this pasta isn't going to make itself!" He was back to his cheerful self, but Minhyuk felt as though something was off with his friend.

Minhyuk decided not to comment and did as Jaehwan instructed, bringing the water to a boil while he gathered the other ingredients.

* * *

  
"Hyung, calm down! I can't understand what you're saying!" Minhyuk said frantically. Hyunwoo had called as they were finishing up their food, freaking out. Minhyuk could tell the other man was on the edge of a panic attack, but he couldn't do anything if he couldn't understand him.

"Someone broke in... everything is trashed... oh my god Kihyunnie... what if he was hurt? Oh my god..." he stammered. Minhyuk was beginning to panic. He had never heard the older man sound so lost and scared.

"We'll be there in ten minutes, okay? Try to calm your breathing. Is anyone with you?" Minhyuk was gesturing to Jooheon to put his shoes on. Jaehwan and Hakyeon - who were able to hear both sides of the conversation - were already putting on theirs as well.

"Kihyun..." Hyunwoo sounded a little calmer. "And Changkyun and... We got coffee, but when we got back... oh god everything is broken..." He started to panic again, but Minhyuk could hear Kihyun in the background comforting him.

"We'll be there soon okay?" Minhyuk waited until Hyunwoo gave a verbal confirmation before hanging up. "Someone broke into their apartment. Sounds like whoever it was completely trashed the place. I think he's mostly upset at the fact Kihyun could have been hurt if he had been there."

"Well that's understandable," Hakyeon said as he grabbed a set of keys from the hooks hanging by the door. "I'd be afraid for my loved ones as well if something like that happened here."

"Are we driving?" Minhyuk asked, confused. He had never seem one of the coven members behind the wheel of a car before. They all chose to run when they had to go anywhere.

"Your friends would find it suspicious if we showed up on foot, wouldn't they?" Jaehwan said easily.

"We could show up via dragon and I honestly don't think Hyunwoo hyung would notice." Minhyuk said, causing a chuckle from the others.

"Go check on your friends," Wonshik said. "We'll stay on stand by and keep planning for these rouges. Come home safe, you hear me?"

"I'm gonna get staked." Jaehwan sang playfully, causing Wonshik to glare.

"Hyung I swear to fuck-"

"Ignore him Shikkie," Hakyeon covered his mouth with his hand to hide his smile. "We'll be back soon. Keep your phone close by."

"Roger."

"Come on then, we can take my baby." Hakyeon led them to the garage - a place Minhyuk never thought to question. Inside were three cars, all shiny and cost easily twice Minhyuk and Jooheon's apartment.

"Jeez hyung," Jooheon whistled longingly. "They're gorgeous."

"What else is an ageless beauty supposed to spend his endless cash on if not equally as handsome cars?" Hakyeon said dramatically as he unlocked the car in the middle.

Jaehwan slid into the passenger seat, leaving Minhyuk and Jooheom to strap into the back. The second they were buckled, their hands found each other. Though he was trying his best not to show it, Minhyuk was terrified for his friends. Hyunwoo and Kihyun lived in a fairly safe area, so the news of a break in was not only unexpected, also raised the thought that maybe it wasn’t a random attack, which was even scarier.

They arrived in ten minutes, just as Minhyuk had promised. He and Jooheon ran out of the car and up the stairs towards the apartment as Jaehwan and Hakyeon hurried behind them. Minhyuk knocked once before the door was thrown open and they piled in, Hyunwoo asking them to hurry inside.

“Hyung are you okay?” Minhyuk said instantly.

“We’re fine, but everything is trashed. They went into every room and destroyed everything. Even your bag from the other night.... I’m sorry Minnie. All your stuff is ruined...” Hyunwoo looked lost.

“Who gives a shit about my stuff?” Minhyuk said quickly. “All of that can be replaced. I’m just glad you’re okay.” He pulled Hyunwoo into a tight hug. He could feel the older man trembling and his chest ached. As soon as Hyunwoo pulled away, he hugged Kihyun just as tight.

“Hyung!” Changkyun called as he all but tackled Jooheon.

“I’m sorry I left,” Jooheon said softly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay-“ Changkyun was cut off by a cry.

“Holy shit!” Kihyun cried, sounding almost scared.

“What’s wrong?” Minhyuk quickly looked around, searching for a threat but the only other people in the apartment were Jaehwan and Hakyeon.

“How did you get in here?” He all but screeched, looking at the two new comers.

“Um, the front door?” Jaehwan answered hesitantly.

“Long time no see, Kihyun-ah.” Hakyeon said easily, smiling charmingly at the boy, who’s jaw seemed an inch from the floor.

“You know each other?” Minhyuk felt like he was missing the punchline to a joke.

“You don’t know?” Hakyeon blinked at Minhyuk, finally looking shocked.

“Know what?” Jooheon looked as confused as Minhyuk felt.

“Get away from them,” Kihyun whispered, not taking his eyes off Jaehwan or Hakyeon.

“What’s going on here?” Jaehwan asked, looking to Hakyeon for some sort of answer.

“You broke our pact!” Kihyun screamed, eyes shining brightly, as if there was actual light coming through them.

“If I remember correctly, our pact was that we would bring no harm or ill will to you or those you care for,” Hakyeon said, ignoring all the confused looks being shot at him. “If you look around, there are no ill intents here in the slightest.”

“How do you know each other?” Jooheon asked.

“How do you know them?” Kihyun shot back, sounding exasperated.

“Well...”

“They know what we are, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Hakyeon said, sounding almost bored. “You, on the other hand, seemed to have kept them in the dark.”

"I had no reason to involve them before!" Kihyun said, his voice getting louder.

"But you saw reason to involve the pretty muscular one." Hakyeon smirked as Hyunwoo's ears turned red.

"I-" Kihyun spluttered.

"Will someone please explain what's going on here?" Minhyuk interrupted, feeling extremely ignored.

"Yoo Kihyun is the witch that agreed to help us," Hakyeon said, trying to gauge everyone's reactions. "Though, when we made that pact I had no idea we were already so close to those you consider kin."

"Hyung..." Jooheon turned to Kihyun, eyes hooded.

"Jooheon, I swear I didn't mean to keep this from everyone! It's just- I'm just-" Kihyun spluttered, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.

"You never told me..." Jooheon took a step towards him, his face still unreadable. "You consider us family?"

"I- what?" Kihyun's eyes widened so much Minhyuk thought his face was going to crack. "Uh, yeah... of course I do. Anyone who's close to Hyunwoo is important to me."

"Hyung..." Jooheon broke and threw himself into Kihyun's arms. The witch caught him, still looking perplexed.

"I promised I would explain when things blew over," Hyunwoo said carefully to Minhyuk, his eyes pleading for the younger boy to  understand. "I guess it came out a little sooner than expected."

"How did you find out?" Minhyuk asked his friend. Hyunwoo blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"He has witch blood in him... our families have known each other for years. We've been betrothed for almost a decade now," Kihyun said easily, causing Hyunwoo to blush harder. "Like I said yesterday... I understand weird situations."

"You're betrothed and you still let me fuck him?" Minhyuk felt horrified that he would sleep with a taken man.

"It's alright Minnie," Kihyun laughed, breaking the tension a little. "I understand your relationship. Besides, we don't have the most usual relationship ourselves..."

"It's weird how everything seems to connect, huh?" Jaehwan commented airily. "First Jooheon and Minmin, then Minmin and the witch boy. It's wild..."

"We got take out and boxes to salvage what we can from the mess." The front door opened and three new figures came in. Hyunwon was carrying several bags of food while Hoseok carried folded boxes boxes and trashbags.

"Shit!" Hoseok dropped his boxes and reached for something inside his coat.

"For fucks sake!" Hakyeon cried as he pushed Minhyuk and Jooheon behind him.

"Your friends are mother fucking HUNTERS?" Jaehwan cried as Hoseok pulled out a silver tipped stake.

"Get behind me Kyunnie," Hyungwon said, shoving the food into the youngest boy's hands. "You haven't been trained enough yet."

"What the hell is going on?" Minhyuk pushed his way to the middle. He looked to his left, where Jaehwan and Hakyeon were shielding Kihyun, Hyunwoo and Jooheon, then to his right where Hyungwon and Hoseok were shielding Changkyun.

"You weren't kidding when you said everything connects." Jooheon said weakly.

"The one time I don't like being right..." Jaehwan muttered before Hoseok charged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I still don't have a good laptop, and I'm moving in three days but I wanted to get at least this up now. I can't guarantee the next update, but I'm hoping before classes start. 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who's been keeping up with this, and a special shout out to those who talk to me on twitter and keep me company! Y'all are the real MVPs of this story.
> 
> As of now there's not much place for anything sexual, but when the fight happens it's going to be a bit gorey. Just a heads up lmao


	6. Chapter 6

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Minhyuk watched as one friend lunged at another, and he knew he had to pick a side. In a split second, he made a decision and moved. He was able to take in the whole scene in a split second - take in Jaehwan's horrified expression, Hoseok's dangerously blank face, Jooheon calling out to him. He threw himself between Hoseok and Jaehwan, waiting for the stab of pain he knew was going to come. With the position of the stake, he knew it would pierce him in the side. It was when Minhyuk realized there was no pain that time seemed to speed up.

Jaehwan fell to the ground as Minhyuk was thrown to the side. The human's head hit the ground, but he was on his feet in an instant. He rushed over to Jaehwan, who was clutching at his arm. Dark blood leaked from between his slender fingers, staining his shirt and his skin a sickly maroon color. Hoseok was finding his footing, having been thrown off by Minhyuk darting in front of the stake meant for Jaehwan.

"Hyung, holy shit are you okay? Why did you do that?" Minhyuk asked, frantically trying to think of something to stop the bleeding.

"Are you fucking stupid?" Jaehwan yelled, his teeth clenched in pain. Minhyuk felt himself flinch slightly, and Jaehwan noticed. The vampire had never risen his voice at his friend before.

"Am I stupid? Are you stupid?" Minhyuk fired back, grabbing some of what looked like shredded sheet from the debris on the floor and tried to stem the bleeding. "I would have been fine!"

"Fine my ass," Jaehwan hissed, his eyes narrowing. "You'd have been dead. That fucker was aiming at my heart. He would have gotten you right in the chest." Minhyuk turned his attention to Hoseok, who was being held back by Hyunwoo. The larger man was saying something quietly, but Hoseok's eyes were fixed on Jaehwan. Hakyeon was still on the other side of the room, standing in front of Jooheon as if expecting another attack, while Hyungwon was watching the whole scene carefully.

"What is your problem?" Minhyuk stood and rushed over to Hoseok, who seemed taken aback that the smaller boy would yell at him.

"I was trying to protect you!" He tried to defend himself, but Minhyuk wasn't interested in excuses. Despite being smaller, Minhyuk wound his arm back and punch Hoseok square in the jaw. The smaller boy stumbled back from the impact but didn’t back down.

"You were going to kill him! Without even knowing the situation!" He was seeing red, and it wasn't just from the blood on his hands. Hoseok stared at him, his hand gently cupping his cheek.

"Hyung, stop." Jooheon pushed past Hakyeon, who seemed ready to pull the human back to safety.

"Why?" Hyungwon's voice stopped any conversation that might have continued. He was staring at Minhyuk - or more specifically, the blood drying on Minhyuk's hands. "Why did you try to save it?"

"It?" Minhyuk felt another spike of anger. "Jaehwan hyung might be a pain sometimes, but he doesn't deserve to die!"

"But he's a monster-" Hoseok spat, glaring at Jaehwan and Hakyeon, who had knelt down to assess the damage.

"He's the monster?" Minhyuk spun so quickly that Hosoek took a step back. "You came in here and.... and just- I can't believe you!" He was so mad he couldn't even find the words to express just how angry he was.

"Are you close with... them?" Hyungwon seemed almost hesitant to refer to them as people.

"Yeah, I'd say so," Minhyuk glared at the younger boy. "Seeing how they saved my damn life. But that doesn't matter to you, does it?"

"They saved you?" Hoseok looked like he had been slapped a second time.

"I owe them my life," Minhyuk said, his voice dropping. "I wouldn't be here without them."

"Why don't we figure out what the hell is going on here over some food?" Changkyun chimed in, holding up the bags of take out. "I feel like there's a lot we need to talk about."

* * *

  
Minhyuk glared at Hoseok, who seemed to wither under the other boy's gaze. They ate in silence, the only sounds coming from the chopsticks clattering and the slight whimpers from Jaehwan when he moved too much.

Minhyuk refused to sit until Jaehwan had his arm bandaged, despite his protests that he was already healing. The wound was mostly closed, but he was still in pain.

"So..." Kihyun broke the silence. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say you've met before?"

"We bumped into each other this morning." Hyungwon said quietly, rubbing his palm carefully.

"They're the hunters you were talking about?" Jooheon asked Hakyeon, who hadn't left his side. Minhyuk made a mental note to thank the older man for protecting his friend.

"Never thought we'd run into them again." Hakyeon murmured a little bitterly.

"So I'm going to assume you aren't the ones killing the homeless?" Hoseok asked, sounding a little like a dog that had been kicked.

"We would never," Hakyeon wrinkled his nose. "They smell awful. I wouldn't be able to stomach it. Besides, we have connections to a hospital. We pay them in exchange for the blood bags. Honestly, they get the better end of that deal. They've gotten so much money from us that they recently bought all new machines."

"If it's not you, then who...?" Hyungwon seemed to relax a little when he heard that Hakyeon and the others weren't the ones they were looking for.

"There's a group of rouges - no coven or home. They caused some trouble last summer but I thought we chased them off for good. Apparently they're back and they aren't happy with us." Hakyeon explained. He sat back, his meal almost completely untouched. He let his arms rest on the back of the couch, and Minhyuk could see the raw power his friend held.

"What happened?"

"Well, at the time I had been following them a bit - just to see what they were doing. After a few weeks I saw there was a human hanging around them,” Jaehwan fidgeted with his hand, not looking anyone in eye. "I didn't think much of it because Hakyeon hyung sometimes had humans about when he teaches them. It wasn't until they killed someone that I realized they were rouges. I just thought they were another coven moving in, which would have been fine. Everyone was off doing their own things, so I wanted to have a little fun, you know? So i kept watching them. I didn't know who the human was, but I could tell he was important to them for whatever reason. I snuck in and broke the glamour he was under to see what they would do. It was the wrong things to do... they freaked out and almost killed me when they realized their human was gone. At this point Jooheon-ah was already working with Hakyeon hyung, so he was already being exposed to all of this."

"Jaehwan, this isn't your fault." Hakyeon said quietly, trying to calm his friend. Jaehwan was shaking, his eyes turning glassy and his voice trembling.

"It is though," He said sadly, running a hand through his hair. "I guess... I guess one of them was talking shit about me one night and Jooheon-ah overheard. He tried to defend me and got into a fight with one of them which put him on their shit list too. They tracked him down and tried to kill him to get back at me. That's when Minhyuk-ah stepped in and got involved. I found him about to kick the bucket and we took him back to the house... patched him up and let him rest... He says we saved his life, but it's my fault he was hurt in the first place if you really think about it...." A tear ran down his pale cheek and Minhyuk wanted to wipe it away, but Hakyeon beat him to it.

"I don't blame you for anything, so you should stop blaming yourself." He said softly, not noticing the exchange of looks between Hoseok, Hyungwon and Changkyun.

"I didn't know vampires could feel remorse." Hyungwon said almost hesitantly.

"There's a lot you people don't know about us," Hakyeon snapped. "Not that you care. All you know is that we're evil and need to be exterminated, right?"

"Well..."

"Did you know that we bleed? That we cry? That we feel love?" Hakyeon clenched his hands together to try and mask the shaking. "Did you know that we can eat and sleep and dream? Did you know any of that? Or better yet, do you even care?"

"We never knew..." Hoseok choked out, looking close to tears himself.

"It doesn't matter," Jaehwan said, void of any real emotion. He was staring at the plates of take out blankly. "If you don't kill us, some other hunters are going to come by. Or the rouges... or maybe we'll figure out how to finally kill ourselves... there's no happy ending for us."

"Jaehwan," Hakyeon said sharply, causing the younger vampire to duck his head. "Don't... don't talk like that."

"We were wrong..." Changkyun said softly, watching Hakyeon and Jaehwan with sharp eyes. "They teach us that you're violent and thoughtless, but they're wrong."

"No, they're not," Jaehwan didn't raise his head. "If we give in, that's exactly what we are. If we don't feed for too long, that's what we become. If we don't have someone to teach us how to behave, that's what we remain. The only reason we're not like the rouges is because we've had the time to learn better."

"I've never heard of a vampire putting himself in danger for a human before." Hyungwon commented, glancing at Minhyuk.

"I couldn't let my precious Minmin get hurt," Jaehwan perked up, sounding more like his usual self. "He is so small and fragile. I had to protect him!"

"I'm not small and fragile!" Minhyuk huffed, only a little offended. Jaehwan grinned and used his good arm to pull the younger boy into a side hug.

"That's not what I remember," he sighed as if reminiscing. "You couldn't even feed yourself, and your loving hyung had to spoon your meals into your mouth, like a mother bird would-"

"Stop!" Minhyuk blushed bright red. "You don't have to go that far..."

"So where does this leave everything?" Hyunwoo said, breaking the playful air Jaehwan managed to barely scrape together.

"I can't kill them now..." Hoseok murmured, looking at the floor. "Now that I know they're like... real people."

"What about the rouges?" Hakyeon didn't let his gaze on the hunters waver.

"Well, they're different," Hyungwon said hesitantly. "If they've been the ones committing all the murders, they have to be brought in. Either we kill them, or the other hunters will..."

"That's fine," The elder vampire said quickly. "I don't care what you do with them, as long as my family isn't in danger any longer."

"Family?" Changkyun questioned. "I thought you lived in covens."

"We do, but we're more than just a coven," Hakyeon's face softened. "The others... they're everything to me. I'd do anything to ensure their safety."

"How many of you are there?"

"Well, five other vampires, but I like to think there's seven of them," He looked over to Jooheon and Minhyuk, who realized what he was saying. "I'm sure the others would agree that Honey and Minmin are as much a part of our family as they are."

"We're going to have to lie to HQ..." Hyungwon said with a hint of horror in his voice. "They can't know we let them go. They'd have our heads."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Hoseok grumbled, sitting back in his chair.

"Well, let's clean up, then we can talk about what to do next." Minhyuk jumped to his feet. Jooheon followed, eager to have something to do. They quickly cleared the dishes and escaped to the kitchen. They stood in silence for a moment before Jooheon went over and rested his forehead on Minhyuk's shoulder.

"You idiot," He whispered, his breath tickling Minhyuk's neck. "I just got you back, and I almost lost you again."

"I would have been fine." Minhyuk tried to reassure him, but Jooheon just shook his head.

"What would I have done if Hoseok hyung killed you by accident?" He sounded so lost that it broke Minhyuk's heart. "I would have.... I don't even know what I would have done without you..."

"It's alright Honey," Minhyuk ran a hand over Jooheon's hair. "Everything is going to be okay in the end."

"How can you be so sure?" Jooheon asked, sounding close to tears. Minhyuk kissed his hairline gently before responding.

"Because if it isn't okay, it isn't the end yet."

* * *

  
“How does your arm feel?” Minhyuk asked, keeping his voice down. After a rocky peace had been made, the seven humans and two vampires went to find places to rest for the evening. Hyunwoo and Kihyun shared a bed, while he and Jooheon shared the other. Hoseok had found an air mattress and inflated it for himself and Hyungwon, and Changkyun called the couch. Hakyeon offered to watch the building overnight in case anything suspicious happened again, which left Jaehwan to try and rest on the recliner -something easier said than done due to the soreness of his arm.

“Better. Instead of a wildfire, it feels more like a really, really bad sunburn.” Jaehwan tried to grin, but it came out more like a grimace.

“Does it normally take this long for wounds to heal?”

“Eh, it’s probably taking a little longer because of the silver but it’ll be fine by morning,” Jaehwan grimaed again as he tried to find a more comfortable position. “Let’s just hope we don’t have to fight anyone in the next eight or so hours.”

“I’m sorry…” Minhyuk whispered, trying to hide the bone deep sadness he was feeling.

“For what?” Jaehwan seemed genuinely confused.

“For putting you in danger,” Minhyuk wrung his hands and swallowed thickly. “I should have come alone today. It was stupid and reckless of me to get you and Jooheon and Hakyeon hyung involved…”

Jaehwan covered Minhyuk’s mouth with his good hand and smirked at the boy’s shocked expression.

“I’m sorry,” Jaehwan chuckled but didn’t remove his hand. “But that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard, and you know the people I live with. I will never, and I mean never, let you get hurt if I can help it. I’d rather take a stake to the chest any day than see you in pain again. Last summer… it was torture to me. I hadn’t been around a human in a very long time before you, and it scared me how long it took for you to heal. Those injuries, for us, would take maybe three days tops to heal but you… You would just sleep and sleep. I thought you weren’t going to wake up a few times... “ He let his hand drop from the boy’s face.

“Hyung…” Minhyuk never knew the other felt that way during his last stay.

“Don’t get all teary eyed now kid,” Jaehwan laughed, his voice mostly clear of any signs of pain or discomfort. “We still have to make a plan… this thing is going to get messy, quickly. I really hope there aren’t many casualties…”

“Shouldn’t you hope for no casualties?” Minhyuk felt his stomach drop.

“Realistically, the chances of either one of them or one of us being killed in this little skirmish is incredibly high,” Hakyeon said suddenly, making both Minhyuk and Jaehwan jump in their seats. “Preferably them, but we can’t make any promises.”

“Jesus hyung, you scared the shit out of me.” Jaehwan placed a hand over his heart to show just to show how shocked he was.

“You’re fine,” Hakyeon dismissed his friend. “But we have to prepare ourselves for the very real fact that not all of us are going to survive.”

“Aren’t they just rouges? Are they really that much of a threat to the vampires that are three times their age?” Minhyuk felt dread pooling in his stomach.

“We have age and experience, but they have raw power.” Hakyeon said gravely, making the dread spike.

“So we’re basically going in blind and praying we don’t get killed.” Minhyuk said flatly, almost wincing when Hakyeon nodded.

“Well, no point in overthinking things now,” Jaehwan said loudly. “We should rest up. Tomorrow is going to be annoying, especially since we have to make plans with those annoying hunters…” he pouted and Minhyuk felt a fond smile on his lips.

“Hyung is right,” He agreed. “Tomorrow is going to be one huge headache, so we might as well rest up now.”

“I just wanted to check in on everything here,” Hakyeon said, heading towards the door. “I’m going to go back out and keep an eye out. Now is the worst time to lose vigilance.”

“Stay safe hyung.” Minhyuk called after him.

“He’ll be fine,” Jaehwan said softly. “He has a lot more power than you might think. Now, let’s go to bed.”  
Minhyuk followed Jaehwan back to the living room. The older man flopped down onto the recliner and pulled the blanket up over his chin. He cracked open an eye just to wink at Minhyuk before turning his head and letting his breathing even out. Minhyuk smiled faintly and shook his head before joining Jooheon in Hyunwoo’s room.

They had done a fairly good job at cleaning the mess, but Minhyuk could still see remnants of his shredded clothing on the rug. Jooheon was spread across the bed, his foot hanging off the edge and his mouth open. Minhyuk couldn’t help the warmth that spread through his chest at the sight of the younger boy.

He carefully pushed Jooheon over to make room for him. Just as he was about to settle in, he felt an arm wrap around his waist and he was suddenly being pulled into a warm chest. He felt Jooheon’s breath tickle his forehead and smiled even wider.

“I was worried I was going to have to go and drag you to bed.” Jooheon said, his words running together.

“I wouldn’t make you do that, at least not when you’re this tired,” Minhyuk laughed lightly and felt Jooheon do the same. “If there’s any other time you want to drag me to bed though… please, for both our sakes don’t hesitate.”

“You’re an interesting guy huyng,” Jooheon kissed Minhyuk’s forehead, and the elder felt his body heat up from the small gesture. “We’re about to get into a huge, potentially deadly fight, but now all I can think of is bending you in half and fucking you into the mattress, and it’s all your fault.”

“Now, that doesn’t sound too bad.”

“It is when there are half a dozen people in the rooms next door. I don’t want to know what N hyung and Ken hyung would do if they heard us messing around.” Jooheon tightened his arms around Minhyuk. Though the conversation was a little inappropriate to be having at that time, it felt good to be able to be silly - to act like new couples should.

“One of them would definitely try to join, but I honestly couldn’t say which one,” Minhyuk giggled and kissed Jooheon’s collarbone gently. “My money is on Jaehwan hyung.”

“Really Cuz I was going to say N hyung,” Jooheon laughed quietly. “He seems like the type to be into some freaky shit.”

“Oh? And how do you know I’m not into some freaky shit as well?” Minhyuk teased lightly. He felt Jooheon’s hand land heavily on his ass and couldn’t hold back the gasp that followed. He felt Jooheon grin.

“All the better then.” He said mischievously, and suddenly Minhyuk wasn’t feeling so innocent anymore.

“Don’t tease me big boy,” Minhyuk whispered into Jooheon’s mouth. “Or else I’ll tease back.”

“Ah, hyung…” Jooheon growled out before pinning the smaller boy beneath him. He leaned down and began nipping along Minhyuk’s neck, and he couldn’t help but arch into Jooheon’s touch.

“Oh Honey…” Minhyuk’s breath catched.

“Oh jesus christ can you two not right now?” Jaehwan’s voice was followed by three loud knocks against the door. “The others might be able to sleep through that but I’m not going to sit here, injured, and listen to you two going at it.”

“Wait, what’s happening?” Changkyun’s voice joined in, and Minhyuk felt his face flush.

“Next time something good happens to you,” Jooheon called loud enough for Jaehwan to hear. “I swear I’ll do everything in my power to ruin it for you.”

“Fuck on your own time!” Jaehwan cried before muttering something and walking away from the door.

“Guess we’ll have to continue this later.” Minhyuk chuckled quietly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make it worth it.” Jooheon swooped down and captured Minhyuk’s lips in a deep kiss, only breaking away when he felt himself getting light headed. He stared down at Minhyuk, who was panting and looking up at him, and felt his heart skip a beat.

“Good night Honey.” Minhyuk whispered as he wrapped his arms around Jooheon’s neck and pulled the younger boy down to lay at his side.

“Good night Minnie.” Jooheon said, his words dripping with affection.

Minhyuk couldn’t remember the last time he fell asleep so quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to throw out a rough estimate of two more chapters, then be completely wrong. Just a heads up: I never write what I say I'm going to.
> 
> Also, even though the semester just started, I finally got a new laptop so hopefully I'll be able to update a little more frequently.
> 
> Another note, I might have to change the rating a little because I'm thinking of killing someone off in the battle. That, and that little bit with Jaehwan and Jin? It's going to come back up again >:)


	7. Chapter 7

Minhyuk woke with a sour feeling in his stomach. He could feel Jooheon’s arms wrapped around his waist, and could hear faint sounds coming from outside the room, but something wasn’t right. He could just feel it. He turned over and smiled softly.

Jooheon was still fast asleep, his mouth open slightly as soft breaths tickled Minhyuk’s nose. He thought the younger boy looked even more beautiful when he was asleep, his soft cheeks relaxed and his harsh eyes gentle. Minhyuk snuggled closer to the other boy’s chest, accidentally waking him up in the process.

“Is it morning already?” Jooheon said, his voice raspy.

“Unfortunately,” Minhyuk answered with a whisper. “But I think we can sneak a few more minutes before we have to face the freak show.”

“Perfect.” Jooheon’s arms wrapped more securely around Minhyuk and he nuzzled his nose into the older boy’s hair. Minhyuk could feel Jooheon’s heartbeat and it made his own heart flutter.

Minhyuk took a moment to fully memorize what was happening. He focused on memorizing exactly how Jooheon’s arms felt around him. How safe he felt with the extra weight on his waist. How Jooheon’s breath warmed his hair with each exhale. How Jooheon smelled like summer and a happy nostalgia that was right there but he couldn’t quite remember. How, when he curled into Jooheon’s chest, the younger boy held him like he was the most precious thing in the world.

Minhyuk felt tears running down his cheeks as he tried to memorize every single, miniscule detail of the moment because once they got out of that bed there was no promise of another chance at happiness.

After that moment, there was no promise the other would still be alive.

“Wake up you two, we’re supposed to get back to the others before lunch. Hakyeon hyung already went back to the house to warn everyone about the strays we picked up.” Jaehwan’s voice followed two gentle knocks.

“Shit…” Jooheon whispered, the single word filled with emotion - he was thinking the same thing Minhyuk had been.

“Come on, we can cuddle tonight.” Minhyuk said, trying to not let his own fears color his words.

“What if we don’t…” his words caught painfully in his throat and it took everything Minhyuk had not to sob at the sound.

“Don’t think like that,” he leaned forward and kissed Jooheon lightly. “Bad thoughts breed bad energy. We have to stay positive, okay? If we break down now…”

“We have to stay positive.” Jooheon repeated, more for himself than anything. Minhyuk could still see the doubt in his eyes, but was so proud of him for trying to stay strong.

“Come on, they’re probably waiting for us.” Minhyuk hesitantly threw the blanket off and rolled so he was sitting. It took a moment to gather the strength to stand, and he instantly regretted it. The room was almost icy compared to the warm cocoon of their bed. Jooheon was by his side in an instant, taking the older boy’s hand in his own.

They made their way to the living room, where everyone was milling around. Kihyun and Hyunwoo were in the kitchen, making breakfast. Hoseok and Hyungwon were sitting on the couch, whispering to each other in a way that made Minhyuk realize they were consoling the other, just like he and Jooheon had been doing. Changkyun was sitting with Jaehwan, asking the vampire question after question.

“Come on, eat this before it gets cold,” Kihyun said, quickly placing plates in front of Minhyuk and Jooheon. “It’s going to be a long day and… who knows when I’ll be back here. Best to get through as much of this now so there’s less to throw out later.”

“Thanks.” Minhyuk smiled at Kihyun and dug into his breakfast, eager to fill his empty stomach in hopes that maybe food would stop the queasiness that was threatening to make him dry heave.

“Not hungry?” Hyunwoo noticed Jooheon wasn’t touching his food.

“Not really.”

“You should try to eat a little,” Minhyuk turned to the younger boy, who half heartedly picked up his fork and played with the food. “We’re going to need to be in tip top shape, right?” he tried to grin playfully, but only got a tight lipped smile from the other.

“After you’re done we can head over to the house,” Jaehwan said, coming over to the kitchen, Changkyun close on his heels. “Hyung left the car but that won’t be enough for everyone…”

“I can drive with Kihyun,” Hyunwoo offered. “If we take two cars we should have plenty of room.”

“Minmin and Honey can come with me.” Jaehwan said, almost distractedly.

“Me too!” Changkyun chimed in quickly.

“Then Hyungwon and Hoseok are with us.” Kihyun finished, placing the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and turning it on. He had no idea when he would be back to put them away - if he would even make it back at all.

* * *

  
“Wow… it’s beautiful here.” Hoseok breathed as the entered the sitting room. Hakyeon perked up at the compliment and instantly went into tour guide mode.

“Well, most of these pieces were hand carved by the same artist, back in the fourteenth century. It was only because of my careful and skillful restoration that any of them survived. These are the last known pieces of his work that are in any condition to be used- oh don’t just stand around! I didn’t save these chairs from historical rot just for them to be ignored! Come! Sit!” He all but pushed Hyungwon and Hoseok down on the couch.

“Any word on the others?” Hongbin asked anxiously. The first car had arrived without problem. Hakyeon had let Hyunwoo, Kihyun and the two hunters into his home easily and instantly started telling his guests about the long and colorful history to the pieces in his house. They ended in the sitting room, where Hakyeon continued to talk their ears off with his impromptu history lesson.

“They should be here by now,” Hyunwoo looked worried. “They left right after us.”

“They should definitely be here by now…” Hyuk looked around, eyebrows furrowed. “I know Jaehwan hyung isn’t the best driver but there’s no way he crashed or anything.”

“We’ll give them another five minutes before we start panicking,” Hakyeon said, and only those who knew him well could hear the slight edge to his voice.

“Knowing our luck, they just made a quick stop somewhere and we’re getting worked up over nothing.”

It made sense. They realized who was in the car after all - the chances of a unplanned stop wasn’t unheard of from them. In fact, it was practically expected, especially with Minhyuk and Changkyun.

Five minutes passed.

Then another five.

After twenty more minutes, they were starting to worry.

After another hour, they were frantic.

“None of their phones are on.” Hoseok said with a frown.

“Neither is Jaehwan’s.” Hyuk was starting to full out panic. Jaehwan was known for always being on his phone, and the fact that he wasn’t answering told Sanhyuk that something was wrong.

“What if they did crash-?” Wonshik’s question was cut off when Hyuk’s phone started ringing.

“Hyung?” He instantly picked up. After a second, his face twisted into something akin to horror and he put the call on speaker before placing the device on the table.

“I’m hoping everyone is together because I can’t stand repeating myself,” A voice that was most certainly not Jaewhan’s said. “I just thought I would give a courtesy call, seeing how your friends are a little… tied up at the moment.”  
“Where are they?” Hakyeon spat, his rage barely contained.

“Oh, not so hasty there friend,” The person said, no hint of fear or stress in his easy words. “I think I have the upper hand in this situation. We didn’t even need to call, but boss insisted in being civil. We managed to pick up some extras on our little mission, and we have no need of them. Boss said to be kind and let you pick them up. They’ll be waiting outside the apartments the witch lives in. Don’t be late though… who knows who will find them before you.” The person cackled before hanging up.

“Fuck-” Hakyeon didn’t even finish his curse before he was out the door, the wood thrown from its hinges from the force.

“Go!” Wonshik yelled, following close behind.

“Wait, what about us?” Hoseok said, feeling helpless. Hyuk and Hongbin hesitated for a moment before sighing.

“Come on pretty boy, hold on tight.” Hyuk said as he scooped Hoseok into his arms. The hunter squawked but the vampire had already sprinted away.

Hongbin did the same to Hyungwon, who looked like a stick in the larger man’s arms. Bin turned to the remaining two quickly.

“You better drive. We’ll need the backup.” he said before running after Hyuk. Hyunwoo quickly got his keys and grabbed Kihyun’s hand, dragging the smaller boy towards the car. They were on the road in record time, making it to the apartment building before Hyuk and Bin - as fast as they were, they were no competition for a speeding sports car. Especially not when carrying others. Hyunwoo threw the car into park and ran out, not bothering to turn the engine off.

“Where are they?” He asked, frantically looking for any sign of his friends. He saw Hakyeon and Taekwoon looking around, but they both looked equally as lost. A shout drew their attention to the roof of the building. The vampires ran up the side of the building, leaving the four humans to watch, helplessly from the ground.

Within minutes, they were back, this time with two bundles in their arms. They were instantly mobbed by the humans, who were praying it was their friends that were found. In Hakyeon’s arms was an unconscious Jooheon, whose face was covered in bruises and had a cut on his temple that was still fresh, red blood trickling down his cheek.

In Wonshik’s arms was a slightly less unconscious Changkyun. The boy was whimpering slightly, his own face not nearly as bad as Jooheon’s but black and blue nonetheless. He weakly tried to fight against Wonshik, who just held him tighter.

“No…” Changkyun whispered, tears mixing with the blood on his face. The vampires instantly knew the blood wasn’t his - they would recognize Jaehwan’s scent anywhere.

“Changkyun, baby, it’s us.” Kihyun rushed over and placed a comforting hand on the boy’s cheek. Changkyun just fought the touch, whimpering louder as he tried to wiggle away. Wonshik realized Changkyun was trying to throw himself from his arms and gently placed the boy on the ground.

“No.. stop!” Changkyun screamed, his eyes flying open. “Don’t- don’t hurt him-”

“Changkyun, you’re safe,” Hyunwoo crouched next to the panicking boy. “You’re okay-”

“Who cares about me?” he said, trying to stand only to fall back down heavily. “They’re going to- they’re going to kill hyung-”

“Where are they?”

“I… I don’t know,” Changkyun blinked, finally starting to come to his senses. “We were driving and something ran in front of the car. Hyung swerved to avoid it and hit a tree… I felt something grab me and everything started moving really fast. They hit us when we tried to fight back… they took Minhyuk hyung and Jaehwan hyung away, and when Jooheon tried to fight they beat the crap out of him…”

“Did you get a good look at their faces?” Kihyun asked, hoping maybe he could scry if the descriptions were accurate enough.

“I’m sorry hyung… I couldn’t see anything. They fucked with my eyes somehow. I wasn’t wearing a blindfold but everything was blurry.” Changkyun started crying from frustration.

“Sounds like you were glamoured,” Hakyeon said softly. “They’re stronger than we thought.”

“Do you know where they took you?” Taekwoon’s soft voice seemed to relax Changkyun a little.

“It was a house, but I don’t know where.” he admitted, sounding more and more upset with himself.

“A house is a good start.” Hakyeon said quickly, wanting Changkyun to know his information was helpful. It worked, the boy seeming to grow a little more confident.

“All I can remember is that it looked like a normal house. Like, someone’s mom was about to walk from the kitchen to call us for dinner kind of normal. There were pictures on the walls and everything. I could see the house, but as soon as anyone talked to me or walked in front of me my vision went blurry.”

“What happened before we found you?”

“Um, someone said something and I felt really tired and like… floaty? Almost? I guess I fell asleep and woke up here.”

“What happened to your face?” Hakyeon carefully traced the bruising.

“Jooheon hyung and I were a bit too mouthy for their liking I guess,” he chuckled ruely. “I guess trying to bite the guy holding me wasn’t the best idea, looking back.”

“You didn’t.” Hyuk couldn’t hold back a laugh. This kid was something else.

“They were taking Jaehwan hyung away…” Changkyun’s eyes grew glassy. “He looked so scared and I couldn’t do a single fucking thing to help him…”

“Jaehwan is a strong kid, you don’t want to worry about him,” Hakyeon said, trying to reassure the boy. “But we’ll get him back in once piece, no doubt about it. Let’s get Jooheon back and wait for him to wake up, then we can make a plan.”

Changkyun nodded, swallowing back his tears. Hyunwoo and Kihyun pulled Hoseok and Hyungwon to their car with a promise to meet back at the house after getting some food for everyone. Hongbin went with them, deciding that awkwardly riding between two hunters was better for everyone if they were to get attacked too. Hakyeon carefully picked Changkyun up, letting the boy weakly wrap his arms around the vampire’s neck.

“Hurts…” Changkyun whimpered and Hakyeon felt his heart break. The boy in his arms looked far too young to experience such trauma. Taekwoon carried Jooheon, worried that Wonshik or Hyuk would be too emotional to be gentle with the injured human.

“Let’s head back,” Hakyeon said firmly. “If war is what they wanted, war is what they’ll get.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from the dead!  
> I talked about what's bee going on in my other fic's notes but I'll give a quick run down. I'm getting pretty intense surgery in a week and I'll be laid up for two weeks and possibly need another four to six weeks on top of that to be 100% again.  
> That being said, I'm going to have a lot of time to write coming up. I'm planning on finishing this, and Star Struck, as well as writing some suggestions that have been given to me including a Changki CEO smut fic and a MX poly fic, so that'll be fun! I also have ideas for more hurt/comfort focusing on Sanha from Astro because he recently talked about having depression before debut.  
> If anyone has any suggestions for fics - oneshots or chapter fics - leave me a comment! I'm more than willing to take ideas!  
> Also, this is going to be a little longer than I thought. This update is a little short compared to what I've been doing recently, but the next scene is better to start the next chapter with. Builds suspense, you feel?


	8. Chapter 8

Minhyuk woke up to the worst headache he probably ever had the misfortune to experience. He looked around, eyes blurring in and out of focus. He spotted Jaehwan, tied to a chair, his head hanging low against his chest. He tried to move, only to find his own arms bound behind his back as well.

“Hyung!” he cried, his voice rough. Jaehwan stirred for a moment before falling limp again. Minhyuk heard shuffling from behind him and tried to crane his neck to see only to feel a cool touch on the back of his neck.

“Seems our friend is awake,” Someone behind him said, and Minhyuk couldn’t stop a shutter. The fingers on his neck gently caressed the soft hairs there and Minhyuk felt his skin crawl. “About time too. I thought maybe they hit you too hard.”

“Who are you?” Minhyuk spat, trying to get away from the person behind him. “What do you want?”

“More like who do we want,” The man chuckled. “And we found them. Our boss wants your friend, but I’m more interested in you.” The man said ‘boss’ like it was a vile word, which sparked Minhyuk’s curiosity.

“You know,” He tried to keep his voice level. “It’s weird not being able to see the person I’m talking to.”

“You’re right, where are my manners?” The man came into view and Minhyuk instantly recognized him. He was one of the men who almost beat him to death.

The man was tall and muscular, but not in a way that would call attention to him. His cat like eyes reflected the dim light - just like a predator - with his red hair spiked up out of his face.

In any other situation, Minhyuk might have thought he was attractive.

“Why did you kidnap us?” Minhyuk asked, feeling a little braver now that he had a visual on the man holding him hostage.

“Oh, don’t call it kidnapping. It sounds so… vulgar,” The man grinned and showed his fangs - sharp and lethal looking. “Think of it more as… forced acquaintanceship. Hopefully we become good friends.”

“I don’t think so,” Minhyuk spat, trying in vain to free his hands again. “You almost killed me! And look at Jaehwan hyung! You hurt him. I’ll never forgive you.”

“Aw, if you’re this upset over the vamp, you should have seen what we did to the other two humans we brought in with you. They were a sight for sore eyes for sure.” The man chuckled, but Minhyuk saw red.

“What did you do?” he screamed, pulling so hard against the ropes that he could feel slickness soaking into the fibers. The man seemed to have noticed the blood running down Minhyuk’s wrists because he stopped laughing instantly, his eyes growing wide. Minhyuk pulled harder and felt his skin ripping from the coarse rope, but he didn’t care. “I’ll fucking kill you!”

“Stop fighting,” The man sounded almost uneasy. “You’ll just regret it-”

Minhyuk wasn’t listening. His blood was roaring in his ears as he leaned forward, standing with the chair still tied to him. He lunged, connecting his head with the bottom of the vampire’s jaw. There was a loud crack and Minhyuk saw white for a moment. When his vision cleared, the man was spitting out red, along with something pink and meaty looking.

He tried to say something, but all that came out was a growl and more blood. Minhyuk staggered back, preparing to lunge forward again.

The man’s eyes were glowing red with rage and the next thing Minhyuk knew there was an agonizing pain behind his eyes and everything went black.

* * *

  
“He still isn’t awake.” A voice said softly. Jaehwan could barely focus. It made his chest burn, and he didn’t know why.

“They were a little rough with him.” Another person said, their words sounding muffled, like there was cotton in their mouth.

“Hm, that child really did a number on you,” The first voice said, a hint of compassion coloring his words. “How did this happen again?”

“Fuckin human headbutted me and I bit my damn tongue off. Thankfully it’s growing back fast.”

“Soft tissue tends to be like that. Now, back to Jaehwan-” The person started to say, but Jaehwan started to move, cutting them off.

He was suddenly aware of how much pain he was in. Every inch of his body seemed to scream in protest and Jaehwan wished - not for the first time - that he could just die.

“Please…” he sobbed, even the feeling of the tears running down his cheeks caused him agony. “Just kill me… have mercy and kill me already…”

“Can’t you help him?” The first voice said, sounding strained.

“Nothing I can do.” The second voice responded, already sounding a little clearer. He put extra emphasis on ‘I’ but the distinction was lost on Jaehwan. He was barely able to breathe, the only reason he was sitting up was because he was tied to the chair. Every labored gasp sent razors through his lungs and he faintly wondered just what the fuck they did to him to cause so much pain. He felt hands in his hair and his head was gently lifted, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his eyes. He realized he was wearing a blindfold - how did he not notice before?”

“What did you do?” the voice sounded horrified.

“We had to make sure he wasn’t going to fight back. He killed one of our trainees before we were able to knock him out. He was desperate to protect those good for nothing humans… I still don’t get why you made us release the other two. They looked tasty… especially the one with the angry eyes. He put up a fight.” There was a hint of a grin in the man’s voice and Jaehwan felt his blood boil.

He was talking about Jooheon.

“Don’t touch them…” he ground out, desperately holding onto consciousness.

“Still the same…” The soft voice said, sounding almost close to tears. There was more shuffling and a barely audible hitch in a breath before something was placed against Jaehwan’s lips. He tried to turn his head, but the movement caused the smell to hit him.

Blood.

He couldn’t help himself. He latched onto what was in front of him, his mouth hungrily drinking the blood from whoever was in front of him. Instantly, he felt the pain decreasing and craved even more. It had been ages since he fed from a living human, and the sensation was making him feel drunk. He lunged forward and tried to sink his fangs in, only to be stopped by a gentle tug on his hair.

The person moved away and Jaehwan was left to lick his lips clean, his mind finally clear enough to start panicking. He remembered driving back to the house when something - or someone - ran out in front of the car. He served and slammed into a tree. Before he could check on his passengers, he was ripped from the car and thrown to the ground. He couldn’t see what was happening, but he could feel it. He remembered hearing a cry coming from not to far away and instantly found himself feeling stronger than ever. The person on top of him flew away from Jaehwan, his head still clutched in the older vampire’s hands, staring unseeingly at the sky. Jaehwan threw the severed head at the person on top of Changkyun, who instantly jumped away from the bloody mass.

Jaehwan threw him aside too, his only thought to protect the human. He turned and saw Minhyuk trying to get to Jooheon, who was fending off his own attacker. He turned back to Changkyun to ask if the boy was okay before feeling the most agonizing pain in the base of his neck. He remembered the horror on Changkyun’s face before everything went black.

Then he woke up, in the most pain he ever felt and scared.

“What did you do to them?” He struggled to form a proper sentence. “I swear if you hurt them… I’m going to kill you.”

“I didn’t tell them to hurt your friends,” The soft voice said. “I was just as upset to see the state of them when you were brought to me.”

“I’ll kill you, you fucking bastards. If you hurt them, I swear to god you’ll never see another sunrise” He growled, already picturing how to rip the throat out of the faceless man that dared injure the people he cared about.

“You ain’t touching him.” The second voice threatened.

“I’ll fucking rip both of your heads off,” Jaehwan snarled, fighting against the restraints. “I’ll make you regret even looking at them.”

“You haven’t changed, have you?” The soft voice sounded… sad. “Same old Jaehwannie, only caring about the wellbeing of others. Why didn’t you get this upset for yourself Jaebird?”

“You...” Jaehwan stopped abruptly. No one had called him that since... “No…”

He felt the blindfold fall from his face. The light blinded him for a moment, long enough to disorient him before he could adjust. The first thing he saw was a man with spiked red hair and a grimace, There was bruising under his chin, but Jaehwan could see it receding before his eyes. His lack of a heart beat seemed to echo almost painfully in his chest, his heavy breathing filling the unnatural silence. The person behind him took slow steps until he was right in Jaehwan’s line of sight.

Jaehwan thought maybe he had died.

Maybe this was what hell was for someone like him.

“No…” he whispered in horror. The man with the soft voice smiled sadly. He looked different from how Jaehwan remembered - his nose was a little smaller and his cheeks a little rounder. This person’s shoulders were a little wider and his hands a little bigger, but there was no mistaking who it was. “Don’t do this to me…”

“It’s good to see you again Jaehwan.” Seokjin said, smiling the same smile that made Jaehwan fall in love almost four hundred years ago.

* * *

  
“Jooheon! Calm down!” Sanhyuk was trying his hardest not to hurt the human, but seeing how the boy was using his whole body to fight the young vampire, he was finding it getting harder and harder to hold back.

The second Jooheon woke up, he was trying to run out the door. It took Hyunwoo and Hoseok both to hold him down, but he managed to break free of their hold through will power alone. He ran head first into Hyuk, who was trying to bring him pain medication.

“Why did you leave him behind?” he screamed, tears running down his cheeks. “He should have been the one saved!”

“Calm down and I can fill you in,” Hakyeon glided in, picking Jooheon up by the collar like a mama cat would with her kitten, a cup of tea carried easily in his other hand. He all but threw Jooheon onto the couch and handed him the cup, the sudden warmth catching Jooheon’s attention and giving him something to focus on. “We didn’t really rescue anyone yet. We received a call from Jaehwan’s phone. Whoever had it said you and Changkyun would be by Kihyun’s apartment building. He hung up before we could get anymore information, but you were right where he said you would be. You were both unconscious, but Changkyun if already awake. He’s in the kitchen with Taekwoon now, making dinner. You’re probably sore, so after you drink your tea I can get you some painkillers.”

“What about Minhyuk?” Jooheon’s mind was reeling. Hakyeon looked away.

“No word on him or Jaehwan. We found you yesterday afternoon, so if they decided to take them somewhere, they could have gone anywhere. All we can really do right now is hope that they stayed local. If your injuries are any indication of what happened to them, it’s safe to assume moving two heavily bruised bodies would be difficult. Especially for rogues who aren’t that strong.”

“We have to find him.” Jooheon said, staring at the cup in his hands. He could see the liquid splashing around from how hard his fingers were shaking.

“And we will. Jaehwan was injured enough to cause bleeding, so Wonshik and Hongbin have gone out to try and pick up his scent. Thankfully Jaehwan’s blood is as loud as he is, so it hopefully won’t be too hard to find him.” Hakyeon smirked a little and Jooheon seemed to relax a fraction.

Jooheon didn’t know what to say. He remembered only fragments of the fight. He had tried to get to Minhyuk but was carried away somewhere. He couldn’t see anything clearly, but he could hear Minhyuk calling for him. He remembered kicking and biting the person holding him, causing him to be dropped heavily - that would explain the pain radiating from his entire left side. He remembered trying to reach out for Minhyuk before he felt almost high, then he woke up in the room he and Minhyuk stayed in when they were reunited.

“Drink up Honey, it’ll make you feel a little better. I’d suggest going to help in the kitchen to get your mind off things, but I don’t think you’re in any real condition to move right now. Here, I’ll get you a blanket and let you relax.” Hakyeon had entered Mother Mode and Jooheon actually smiled a little at the sight of the age old vampire fussing around him.

Dinner was a solemn affair. Changkyun and Sanhyuk tried to make light conversation, but it fell flat against the tension in the air. Jooheon wasn’t hungry, but he didn’t want to worry anyone so he slowly picked at his plate until a sizable portion was gone. Just as he was about to excuse himself, Hoseok sighed.

“I wish there was a way to just… track his phone,” He said, playing with his food more than eating it. The two hunters had been extremely quiet. “I mean, they obviously still have it, but that’s normally something you have to set up beforehand right?”

“It would be too easy.” Kihyun put his fork down. He wasn’t even pretending to eat.

“Can you imagine though?” Changkyun let out a sad chuckle. “If Jaehwan hyung updated his snapchat and we could find him through the snapmap feature? ”

The suggestion got a round of half hearted laughs before the room fell silent again.

“Wait…” Sanhyuk stood abruptly, knocking his chair back and rushed from the room, leaving everyone a little shocked.

“You don’t think…?” Hyunwoo trailed off, not even wanting to humor the idea. Hyuk came back in record speed, his phone in hand. He opened the app and went to the map, searching for the familiar little character that he and Jaehwan had spent hours making look exactly like the elder.

“Well fuck me right in the asshole,” Hyuk breathed, his eyes growing wide. He looked up at everyone and turned the screen around. “They’re right down the fucking street.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH SHIT WADDUP  
> Remember ages ago when I said everything connects somehow, and that there would be one last connection that no one saw coming? Jin's back! From the dead? Well, that part you'll find out soon enough!   
> One thing I can say for certain is that there won't be as much death as I though, just a lot of pain for everyone to experience! I'm going to estimate two more chapters, but honestly if we took a shot every time I said that and ended up going on for another five, we'd all be dead.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the new tags. This chapter gets a little graphic.

Minhyuk woke up with another headache, in a different room. This time he was in what looked like a study, with floor to ceiling bookshelves and a large wooden desk. He was tied to a fairly comfortable desk chair, facing the door as if he was hosting a meeting - sitting at the desk like a CEO.

There were a three figures lounging on the dark leather couches, all of which were vaguely familiar. Fear started coursing through his veins, making his heartbeat speed up painfully. They were the ones who almost killed him. One of the figures - he had dark hair and tattoos on his arms - must have heard the change in his pulse and looked up.

“The kid’s finally awake,” He said, almost sounding excited. Another, with white-blond hair and a scar, grinned.

“About time. Thought Jackie might have been too rough on him.”

“Well, we know for sure he’s the right one.”

“Why haven’t you killed me?” Minhyuk said, his throat burning.

“Where would the fun in that be?” The blond jumped off the couch with feline like grace. “Though we were impressed that you managed to make Jackie bite his tongue off. That’s some ballsy shit.”

“What do you want from me?” Minhyuk felt weak, but he knew Jaehwan was still in the house somewhere - if he was even still alive.

“That’s exactly what we want,” The dark haired one said. “We want you. Last time, when you jumped into the middle of our fight? That takes something special. We left you alive as a test of sorts.”

“You obviously passed,” The blond continued seamlessly. “We’ve been watching you. There’s something about you that’s just so… interesting. When Boss came to us and basically offered you to us, we couldn’t say no.”

“So what now? Are you going to make me into some sort of mindless servant?” Minhyuk snapped, the venom in his words all bravado. “Use me like some sort of blood bank until you kill me?”

“Even better.” The blond went over to Minhyuk and began playing with his hair. Minhyuk wanted to move away from his touch, but he was trapped.

“We’re going to make you into one of us,” The man with the red hair - Jackie - walked into the study. “You’re exactly the kind of doll I’ve been looking to add to my collection.”

“I’d rather die.” Minhyuk snarled, pulling against the ropes.

“Oh, that’s part of it,” The blond chuckled and continued to play with his hair. “Lots of pain and blood and dying at first, but afterwards it’s other people’s pain and blood and dying, which is arguably more enjoyable for us.”

“You don’t really have much of a choice,” Jackie said easily. “See, when Jin made our little deal, he promised you’d be ours and we take promises very seriously here.”

“I don’t know who Jin is, but he has no right to promise me to you freaks.” Minhyuk knew he was asking for trouble. He didn’t know what was going to happen, but he prayed that if he stalled long enough something would play in his favor. Maybe they’d get so frustrated that they’d beat him to death before they could turn him into a monster.

“It’s cute how you think you have a choice,” Jackie tutted, like a parent lightly scolding their child. “Listen carefully boy. You. Are. Ours. We own you.”

“Maybe if we break him in a little first he’d be more open to the idea of joining us.” The third figure who had been silent up until then spoke. Minhyuk turned to glare and saw it was a lanky boy with black hair that fell into his eyes. He looked no older than fourteen but Minhyuk could tell there was something odd about him.

Just then, the doorbell started ringing. Everyone froze for a moment before the boy huffed and left the room.

“Ah, marvelous idea!” Jackie clapped his hands, praising the third boy as a teacher would a star student, despite the boy having already left. “How much could our dear Minhyukkie handle before he’s begging us to turn him?”

“Do your worst you fucking freak-” Minhyuk started to growl, but the feeling of lips on his neck cut him off. He fought back a shiver of disgust, and with a sinking stomach he realized what the boy was implying. “Y-you can’t do this.”

“Actually, we can do whatever we want,” Jackie grinned down at him. Minhyuk could see blond from his peripherals as he felt fingers running down his back.

“We could turn you right now if we wanted to, but where’s the fun in that?”

“Please…” Minhyuk didn’t want to show weakness in front of actual monsters, but he was so scared. He could feel his hands shaking despite being tied behind his back. “Please don’t do this.”

“Hmm, you’re even cuter when you cry.” The one with tattoos cooed as he moved to join the blond. Hot tears ran down Minhyuk’s cheeks, the salt stinging the cut on his face.

“No…” He tried to struggle, but it was pointless.

“I told you,” Jackie used a slim finger to raise Minhyuk’s chin. The boy looked at him with rage filled eyes and a trembling bottom lip, his traitorous tears continuing to fall. “We can do whatever we want to you.”

Minhyuk closed his eyes tightly and prayed for death as he felt a thumb caress his bottom lip.

* * *

  
Jaehwan stared at his hands, still shaking in his lap. Seokjin had untied him the second the rouge vamp had left the room and brought him to an enclosed porch. Plants hung all around them, giving off the illusion of being in a jungle almost. Seokjin had offered him two blood bags in silence, which Jaehwan greedily drank. He could feel his wounds healing quickly, but he still felt weak - not physically, but emotionally.

“Come on Jaebird, won’t you look at me?” That oh so familiar voice asked, but Jaehwan refused to look up.

“What are you?” He asked carefully.

“What?”

“What are you?” He asked again, closing his eyes. “If you’re some kind of… of demon, or ghost or… fuck, I don’t even know… a living nightmare maybe?”

“Last time I checked, I was human,” Seokjin laughed and dear god it was exactly the same as Jaehwan remembered. “I needed to find you.”

“Why?” his voice broke.

“Because I needed to see you again.”

“How are you here?” Jaehwan finally found the courage to look up and felt his chest constrict. Seokjin was looking at him with a soft smile. The human offered him a cup, filled with floral smelling tea. He took it, almost spilling the hot liquid with how badly his hands were still quaking.

“Each time I’m born, I remember bits and pieces of the past,” Seokjin started, sounding almost sad. “The first life after you were turned, I didn’t remember anything. The second, I felt like something was missing from my life, but I couldn’t figure out what it was. By the third life, I was able to remember your eyes, and your smile. By the fifth I was able to look for you. I knew you were still alive. It was… 1735? I can’t quite remember anymore - anyway - I was walking home and I felt this tug. I followed it, not knowing why, when I came across a small grouping of men under a streetlamp. They were all well dressed - much better than I was. At the time, I was an apprentice to the local doctor… I only briefly saw their faces but one I could never forget.” Seokjin looked at Jaehwan meaningfully, and Jaehwan was hit with a memory that had been completely forgotten until then.

He and the others had just adopted Wonshik into their family and they had gone out to celebrate. Thankfully, Wonshik had learned to consume human foods on his own, the vampire being almost seventy five before Hakyeon found him, so they had gone to an upscale restaurant and bought the most expensive dishes just to see the faces of the staff. They had just finished and were heading back to the hotel they were using as a makeshift home when Jaehwan had felt something stir in his chest. They stopped under a light to let his chest settle, and the feeling had passed within moments. They continued on their way, and

Jaehwan never thought twice about the moment.

“Oh my god…” His stomach dropped at the realization.

“When I finally saw you, all my memories came rushing back,” Seokjin smiled ruefully. “Even the ones in between my next life.”

“What do you mean ‘in between’?” Jaehwan asked, trying to keep his voice steady. He felt like his world was falling apart around him.

“After I was… killed, I found myself stuck. I couldn’t contact you, but I was able to see you. I followed you, desperately trying to get your attention to no avail. I followed you, that day, when you went to the river. I would have died a thousand deaths if it meant never letting you feel that pain,” A tear rolled down Seokjin’s cheek but he didn’t seem to notice. “When you… when you threw yourself into the river, I was frantic. I sense… something… nearby and rushed to it. It was the man with the sharp eyes - Hakyeon? He noticed me and followed me back to the river, where he found you on the shore. You were barely alive…”

“Seokjin…” Jaehwan finally found the strength to say his name. “Why didn’t you let me die?”

“Because you’re too bright of a flame to be extinguished so soon.” Seokjin said softly.

“You still talk the same Jinnie,” Jaehwan found himself saying. “If you’ve been born that many times, you think you’d pick up on modern vernacular.”

“Same old Jaebird,” Seokjin grinned. “Can’t stay serious for more than ten minutes.”

“You know me. Tense atmospheres are bad for my skin,” Jaehwan smiled back. Jin threw his head back and laughed the same barking, almost fake sounding laugh that Jaehwan treasured. “But wait, why are you working with the rouges?”

“I didn’t know who they were when I made a deal with them,” He said, the mirth fading from his eyes, quickly being replaced by regret. “This life, and even in the last, my memories have been getting hazy. I was desperate to find you, even just to see you from a distance again. I overheard one of them talking and heard your name and I just- I was so sure they were talking about you. I could just feel it. I approached them and asked if they knew you. They said they did, and that you knew someone they were looking for as well. We made a deal that if they could find you and bring you to me, they could have access to my personal funds. They seemed very eager to have a bank account at their disposal. If I had known what they had planned, I never would have… I never thought they would bring harm to you or your friends. I just thought they would bring you over to speak to me…”

“It’s okay Jinnie,” Jaehwan found himself saying. “You couldn’t have known what kind of monsters they were.”

“They were going to kill the children, but I managed to convince them not too,” Jin looked torn. “I wish there was more I could have done.”

“Jinnie, love, it’s alright-” A loud scream cut Jaehwan off. It took a moment, but he recognized the voice. “Minhyuk.” He breathed in horror. He let the teacup drop from his hands, not caring about the sound of shattering porcelain. Just as he was about to run, he felt something grab his wrist. He turned and was… confused.

Why was Seokjin holding him back?

“Jinnie let go,” He said, desperation bleeding into his words. He needed to get to Minhyuk before he was too late. “I have to get Min-

“I can’t let you go.” Jin said sadly.

“What are you talking about?” Jaehwan tried to twist Seokjin’s grip without hurting him, but the human was stronger than he looked.

“I just got you back Jaehwan,” He said, sounding angry. That shocked Jaehwan. He almost never heard Seokjin sound angry. “I’m not going to let you go now. If you try to save that boy, they’re going to rip you apart. I’m not letting you go.”

“I don’t care about myself!” Jaehwan felt his voice rising, but Seokjin didn’t so much as flinch. “I have to get to Minhyuk before they hurt him.”

“Are you really going to chose that boy over me?” Seokjin sounded hurt. “I’ve waited lifetimes, Jaehwan. I’ve lived life after life just to hold you again. If you leave me right now, you will be killed and you’ll be gone forever. You can’t be reborn like me.”

Another scream filled the air, more desperate than the first and Jaehwan was torn. He hated himself for hesitating, but he was.

He knew he needed to save Minhyuk. He had to but... but he finally had his Seokjin back. His Jinnie… the love of his life. Seokjin promised they would be together again, and four hundred years later he managed to keep that promise. Images of Seokjin being turned, living together in a house that they built, living the life together they always dreamed of flashed behind Jaehwan’s eyes. It took one look at the desperation in Seokjin’s eyes to make his decision.

He pulled Jin into him and kissed him deeply, memorizing the feeling of the familiar yet not familiar lips against his own. Seokjin relaxed into the embrace and kissed back eagerly, his cheeks wetting with tears.

Jaehwan pulled away and pushed Jin down on the couch.

“I won’t be killed,” he said with a cocky smile. “I have someone to come back to. I won’t let them kill me, but I can’t let them hurt Minhyuk.”

“Jaehwan NO-” Seokjin called after Jaehwan as he ran from the porch. He followed the sound of the scream at record speed, the blood from the bags fueling him. He came across double doors that were already thrown open. He skidded to a halt, not quite understanding the sight that greeted him.

* * *

  
Silence filled the room. Everyone stared at Sanhyuk with a mix of disbelief and shock.

“You’re fucking joking.” Wonshik snatched the phone from the younger man and stared at the screen for a second before his eyebrows raised and he let the phone slide on the table for the others to see.

“He’s not fucking joking…” Changkyun said faintly.

There, right in the middle of the screen, was a bitmoji that was so obviously Jaehwan that it was painful. Sanhyuk was right. The little figure was less than three block away.

“We have to go.” Jooheon stood and was about to leave when Hakyeon pushed him back down into his seat.

“What we have to do is think of a plan. If we run into there now we’re going to be slaughtered.”

“We have to plan fast,” Hoseok said firmly. “We have no idea what those rogues are capable of, and if how Changkyun and Jooheon were treated is any indicator, Minhyuk and Jaehwan might not have much time.”

“What if Hyungwon hyung went to a few of the houses and asked if they saw his dog?” Changkyun started. He clarified when he got strange looks. “Well, Jooheon hyung and I can’t do it because we look like shit, and Hoseok hyung and Hyunwoo hyung can’t do it because they’re too beefy. Maybe Kihyun hyung can go with him and use his magic or whatever to sense something? And if they go to a few houses leading up to the target house, if anyone’s listening or keeping watch they’ll see them going door to door which is more believable. If we can distract some of them at the front door, maybe we can get in the back?”

“That’s… not a bad plan actually.” Hakyeon said, sounding only mildly shocked.

“What if they don’t open the door?” Hyungwon asked.

“We keep knocking. Even if they don’t answer, it could be a cover,” Changkyun continued. “If he keep pounding on the door and ringing the doorbell they might miss other sounds we could be making. In the movies there’s always the one person that steps on a creaky floorboard and gives them away or something stupid, so if there’s a noise cover that could be prevented.”

“You watch a lot of horror movies, don’t you?” Hongbin asked with a hint of a smile.

“In my defense, I think it’s a good way to know what not to do.” Changkyun folded his arms and looked away.

“So if Kihyun and Hyungwon distract in the front, Wonshik, Hyuk and I can try and get in… maybe from an upstairs window?” Hakyeon continued. “Hongbin and Taekwoon, once we’re in, you act like a second wave of defense. We’ll probably hit the brunt of the rogues, but you need to get in, get Minhyuk and Jaehwan and get out. If Hoseok and Hyunwoo are nearby, they can get Minhyuk and Jaehwan from Hongbin and Taekwoon, so they can fend off the vamps that are going to be on their trail.”

“What about me?” Jooheon said instantly.

“Hyung, we’d be more of a hazard than a help,” Changkyun said quietly. “I know you want to help Minhyuk hyung, but you’re injured. What if we’re the reason something goes wrong?”

“Fuck…” Jooheon obviously hadn’t thought of that. Hakyeon had explained that Vampire’s blood worked on humans the same way human’s blood worked on them, if to a lesser extent. A few drops could heal minor wounds completely and close up major ones enough so they aren’t life threatening. It was the only way they were able to nurse Minhyuk back to health in three weeks, and the only way they were able to get Jooheon conscious so soon after being found. Sure, Jooheon was feeling better after drinking the red liquid given to him - he pretended it was a bloody mary and it made it a little better - but he wasn’t one hundred percent and that could be a liability.

“Okay, any questions?” Hakyeon asked, looking around the table. “Whoever makes it out will meet back here. We’ll reinforce the protections so as soon as you cross the boundary you’ll be hidden. Taekwoon, will you help me with that? Everyone else, get ready. We leave in twenty minutes.”

The two oldest vampires quickly left, leaving the dining room in complete silence. Chankyun’s hand found Jooheon’s and he gave it a light squeeze. It killed him to see his best friend so tense, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Jooheon stared blankly at the table cloth while soft conversations started up around them.

Kihyun and Hyungwon whispered about what kind of dog they’d be looking for, creating a believable script and talking through any snags in their positions.  
Hoseok and Hyunwoo stood off to the side, staring at the little cartoon map. Hoseok managed to bring up the actual address on google, and were planning the best way to back. They saw a shortcut through someone’s backyard and were quietly arguing the pros and cons of using it.

Hongbin, Sanhyuk and Wonshik were oddly quiet, almost as if they were talking through looks alone. Changkyun watched Hongbin’s eyes fill with tears and bury his face in Sanhyuk’s shoulder. Changkyun understood. He was afraid, as they all were. They were less than five minutes away from death.

No one spoke when Hakyeon and Taekwoon came back. Changkyun watched everyone stand and start to walk towards the front door, the air heavy. Hakyeon came over to him and placed a soft kiss to his forehead.

“We’ll get them back,” he whispered to Changkyun. “I swear on my life, we’ll get him back.”

Hakyeon straightened and left, silence as death, leaving Changkyun and Jooheon alone in the large house. Changkyun felt a sob rip through his chest, the sudden action causing him to cough violently. He doubled over, taking his hand away from Jooheon. He desperately clawed at his face, as if he could rip the tears out of his eyes.

“Changkyun stop,” Jooheon’s voice broke Changkyun from his hysterics. He turned and buried his face in his friend’s chest. “It’s going to be okay.” He rubbed the younger boy’s back soothingly but it just made Changkyun sob harder.

“They’re all going to die and we have to just sit here!” He sobbed, and he felt Jooheon’s hand hesitate on his back.

“They’re going to come back home with Minhyuk hyung and Jaehwan hyung. They might be a little busted up, but so are we,” He stood and guided Changkyun to the room with the blue stained comforter. The shirt Minhyuk wore to bed was still on the bed, the covers still messed up from the last time the two were there, only two nights prior. He sat Changkyun down on the bed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “We have to think positively. Remember what hyung always says?”

“Negative thoughts breed negative outcomes.” Changkyun muttered through little hiccups.

“Exactly. There’s…. There’s nothing we can do right now but wait, and thinking the worst will just make everything suck even more.”

“Can we just stay like this?” Changkyun finally calmed down enough to talk without sobs breaking up every syllable.

“Of course Changkyunnie.” Jooheon pulled him closer and started telling him stories that he learned from Hakyeon.

* * *

  
So far, everything was going according to plan. Kihyun could sense the others trailing close behind as they made their decoy trips to the surrounding houses.

He felt a little bad lying to the homeowners, all of which looked worried for their imaginary dog. His hands shook as he rang the doorbell for the target house.

There was no response so he rang it less than a second later, then again and again.

He sensed Hakyeon, Wonshik and Sanhyuk move around the house. He continued to ring the doorbell as Hyungwon started to knock loudly. Kihyun could sense the three vampires until they entered the house, then they seemed to disappear completely. He was so engrossed with his task of making noise that he almost fell backwards when the door was thrown open by a very angry looking boy.

“What the fuck is your problem?” he all but yelled, his ink-black hair falling over his eyes.

“Um…” Kihyun hesitated, shocked. Hyungwon thankfully stepped right in.

“Our dog got out this morning,” he said smoothly. “He’s sick, and we need to make sure he gets his heartworm pill every night so we’re desperate to find him.”

“He’s a two year old lab, with a green collar.” Kihyun remembered his script.

“We live about five block away, by the grocery store,” Hyungwon pointed in the opposite direction from where the came, where the local grocery store did, in fact, stand. “We know this is kinda far but we’ve asked everyone in the immediate area and they haven’t seen him. He’s fast, so we thought he might have made it out here.”

“Have you seen him? He’s my little brother’s dog, and he’s heartbroken,” Kihyun played it up a little. This was the part that the normal humans usually got a little misty eyed, but the boy seemed unamused. That didn’t matter though. All they had to do was stall for time and if the boy was willing to listen, they were going to talk. “His name is Sanha, and he has really bad anxiety. Astro - the dog - is one of the few things that can calm Sanha down when he’s having a panic attack.”

“Someone must have left the back gate open, but we don’t know exactly how long he’s been gone,” Even if Kihyun hadn’t cast a small spell to hide evidence of a lie, Hyungwon was selling the story. Maybe once this was all over, Kihyun would suggest the taller boy drop hunting and take up acting. “Our mom went to work around seven, and when we came home at three he was gone.”

“Look, I haven’t seen your dog,” There was something in the boy’s voice that was different from the angry iciness from before. “I don’t go out much, so even if he did wander by here I wouldn’t have seen him.”

“Ah, we’re sorry for wasting your time then-” Hyungwon knew there was only so much they could say before their attempt to stall became obvious.

“But…” The boy looked away, almost like he was embarrassed. “There’s a park a little bit down the road with this big pond. I know a lot of dogs go there during the day, so maybe he went to cool off or something.”

“I never thought of that!” Kihyun covered his shock well. “Thank you so much. What was your name?”

“Danny,” The boy said awkwardly, any sign of aggression gone. Kihyun was able to see what he really was, and it broke his heart. The boy in front of them wasn’t a monster. He was just a boy. Maybe thirteen, who had his life ripped away from him. If he was with the rouges, there was no way he was being treated right. “I hope you find your dog. He sounds like a special one.”

“Thanks again Danny,” Hyungwon’s voice shook the slightest bit. “If we find him, we’ll stop by and let you know.”  
Danny nodded and closed the door - more careful than how he opened it. Hyungwon and Kihyun started to walk away, towards where the others were waiting. Taekwoon and Hongbin had already gone in, leaving Hoseok and Hyunwoo waiting for their cue.

“Oh god… I don’t want that kid to be killed…” Hyungwon gulped back a shaking breath.

“Me neither… I wasn’t expecting that… I thought they were all- all monsters.”

“What happened?” Hyunwoo held Kihyun close.

“The kid that answered the door… he was mad at first but something in our story seemed to get to him. He got all soft and quiet and told us to check the park for our ‘dog’... and he’s probably going to be killed. Just because he was on the wrong side.” Kihyun let a tear escape, the drop instantly soaking into Hyunwoo’s shirt.

“It’s going to be okay,” Hyunwoo said comfortingly. “Why don’t you two head back. The more lives we can protect, the better. Besides, I’m sure Changkyunnie and Honey are freaking out by now.”

“Stay safe, you hear me?” Kihyun stood on his toes slightly so he could reach Hyunwoo’s face and kissed him gently. “You better come home. If you don’t… I’ll- I’ll kill you.”

“Of course love,” he kissed Kihyun one more time before straightening up. “I could never leave you behind.”

“Same goes for you, idiot.” Hyungwon said to Hoseok, staring at the ground and trying to ignore the burning in his eyes. He felt fingers lace through his, and Hyungwon would know those warm, slightly rough hands anywhere.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Hoseok whispered, kissing Hyungwon. “I’m sorry I waited until we might die for real to actually kiss you.”

“You i-idiot.” Hyungwon started crying openly. He tried to pull his hand away, but Hoseok wouldn’t let him.

“Yeah, but I’m your idiot,” he grinned cheekily, and Hyungwon found he couldn’t help but return it. “Get back safe, okay?”

“Okay.” Hyungwon whispered before giving Hoseok a kiss of his own. He and Kihyun stepped away from their hearts and without a backwards glance, they walked away.

* * *

  
“Something isn’t right.” Hakyeon whispered just loud enough for Wonshik and Hyuk to hear. Kihyun and Hyungwon were doing a great job of making a racket. When - if - they got back, Hakyeon made a note to get Changkyun something special for thinking of that part of the plan. When the noise stopped abruptly, they stopped moving. When the heard voices they started creeping down the hall again. There were more voices coming from two large doors that were closed tightly.

“Get your hands off me! Stop- STOP!” Minhyuk’s voice blasted through the doors, the pure desperation in his words making the three spring into action. Hakyeon threw the doors open and everything seemed to stop.

Minhyuk was propped up on the desk, shirt and pants missing, leaving him just in a pair of boxer briefs that were tugged down his hips. A man with blond hair was touching his chest, while a man with tattoos was crouching between his thighs. A third man with bright red hair was smoking a cigarette and at the sight of the bright red circles littering Minhyuk’s torso, Hakyeon easily put everything together.

Hakyeon saw RED.

Minhyuk tried calling out to him just as the man with the tattoos bit down harshly on his inner thigh, causing the boy to scream in pain.

Hakyeon charged, sensing Wonshik and Hyuk close behind. As his fingers curled around the dark locks of the man between Minhyuk’s legs, Hongbin and Taekwoon burst through the windows, the shattered glass falling on the man with the red hair and causing a half second distraction that gave Hakyeon enough time to snap the tattooed man head clean from his neck. He lunged at the blond, who was standing still in shock. Hakyeon didn’t even hesitate to sink his teeth into the man’s skin and rip out his non existent pulse point. The blond man fell with a heavy thud and Hakyeon could feel the hot blood running down his chin. He spun around and stared at the man with the red hair, who stared back at him without fear.

“Good to see you again N,” He said easily, as if they had run into each other at the supermarket. “Made quite the entrance, didn’t you?”

“I’ll kill you-” Hakyeon snarled, taking a step forward. The man laughed and in the blink of an eye had Minhyuk by the arm.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” He said, his tone still carefree. “He’s been such a good boy for us already. Want to see how pretty he sounds when he screams?” He pressed the lit cigarette to Minhyuk’s neck and the boy let out a blood curdling shriek of pain. He tried to fight his way free, but ended up falling limp in the man’s grip. Hakyeon stood frozen.

He understood. He knew if he tried to attack the man, Minhyuk would die. The others seemed to realize this as well, no one moving even a fraction. It was a standoff, five against one, and the one was holding a bomb.

“Aw, come on,” The man tutted. “Aren’t we having fun? I know Minhyukkie here was having fun before you barged in.” he hauled the boy into a standing position and dropped the cigarette on the ground before grabbing for the obvious tent in his underwear. Minhyuk whimpered quietly but didn’t try to fight back.

“What-” A new voice came from the doorway. Hakyeon turned his head just enough to see Jaehwan standing there, looking at the scene in front of him with such horror he had tears running down his cheek.

“Jaehwan, be a dear and close the door?” The man asked, as if the older vampire would comply.

“Jaehwan, don’t move.” Hakyeon said loudly, eyes never leaving the red haired man. The man’s hand never moved from Minhyuk’s underwear, and Hakyeon was getting closer and closer to ripping his face off by the second.

“Jaehwan, if you don’t close those doors, I’ll make sure Seokjin experiences the most painful death imaginable,” The man didn’t take his eyes off Hakyeon, but he grinned wider when he heard a faint gasp from the door. “That’s right Jaehwan. I’ll make sure he won’t come back for years. Maybe if god is being merciful, he won’t let that poor bastard be reborn at all. Imagine all those lives spent looking for someone who so easily cast them aside-”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Jaehwan screamed, his tears falling faster. The man laughed and leaned close to Minhyuk’s ear, whispering something softly. The boy’s eyes widened painfully and he started to fight back with renewed vigor.

“Please,” he begged the man pitifully. “I’ll do anything… just don’t do that. Please… I’ll do anything you want.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear.” He laughed and deposited Minhyuk on the desk as if he weighed nothing and stood in front of him.

“Don’t do anything Minhyuk!” Hakyeon yelled, but the boy wasn’t listening.

“You made the right choice Minhyuk,” The man grinned, showing off his fangs. “This is going to hurt. A lot.”

And he shoved his hand into Minhyuk’s chest and wrapped his long fingers around his still beating heart. Minhyuk arched his back and screamed so loudly Hakyeon thought he was going to pass out.

All Minhyuk knew is that anything the other two might have done to him would have been pleasant compared to. His vision went white and he faintly heard a whining, buzzing sound in the distance. It wasn’t until he started choking on something bitter and metallic that he realized the buzzing had been his screaming.

“NO!” someone screamed, but Minhyuk was already gone.

Minhyuk closed his eyes, and he didn’t know anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! It's exactly one week since I woke up from the surgery and healing has been a pain in the ass. I was so looking forward to having all this down time to write but for the first five days all I did was sleep. Apparently being cut open really takes it out of you! But I'm slowly getting better and my motivation to write is slowly coming back! I even updated my Idols AU on twitter! If you want to read it, DM me and I can send it to you because my account is a trashfire and finding it will be hard.
> 
> On another note, the next chapter will most likely be the last one. I've always adored the supernatural and vampires and faires and shit, so writing this was really self indulgent. I know it's not as popular as my other fics, but I'm really proud of this because I always hesitate to write action scenes but I think this last chapter came out really well! I always worry my fight scenes are too rushed, but at the same time I know I get bored reading action scenes if they drag on for ages. I haven't been able to find a happy medium yet, so feedback could be very helpful. This is also the longest chapter! I just couldn't find a natural place to cut it, so I just kept going.
> 
> Let me know what you think! If you're mad at me, feel free to yell at me all you want! I'll understand. I'm an ASSHOLE to my characters haha


	10. Chapter 10

Minhyuk was floating. He couldn’t feel anything. He couldn’t hear anything. He couldn’t see anything. It was if he didn’t have any senses. He didn’t know how long he was floating, but he didn’t mind it. It was sort of… nice. Nothing to upset him. Nothing bad could happen to him here, where ever he was. No one could touch him, or hurt him or-

He remembered.

The memories came flooding back so painfully that he screamed, the sound being swallowed by the nothingness around him.

He remembered being kidnapped. He remembered the last time he saw Jaehwan, how hurt his friend was. He remembered the rage he felt when he heard about Jooheon. He remembered Jooheon, with his dimpled smile and eyes that dissapeared when he was happy. Jooheon, who acted so tough but cries at happy endings and screams at horror movies. His Jooheon, whom he may never see again. He remembered the man, Jackie, burning his skin and touching him. He remembered being afraid of Hakyeon for the first time since laying eyes on the other man - the blood dripping down his chin made him seem like a real monster. He remembered Jackie doing something that hurt so, so much…. Then nothing.

Minhyuk wished he was still floating, unable to see or feel or think.

Remembering hurt.

Minhyuk cried out again, but it didn’t matter.

There was no one there to hear him.

* * *

 

Minhyuk opened his eyes, only to shut them quickly. It was too bright. He groaned and turned his head, but he could see the light through his eyelids. There was shuffling next to him, and it sounded like gunshots going off. He tried to cover his ears, but he found he couldn’t move his arms.

“He’s awake…” Someone breathed, but it sounded like a scream to Minhyuk. There was the sound of running before the footsteps stopped abruptly. “Not yet, we need to give him space.”

“Hyung please…” the voice was so familiar that it hurt. “I need to see him… please…”

“Jooheon, he’s going to be sensitive for a while. Overwhelming him now could be dangerous-”

“I won’t overwhelm him! I just… I need to see him.” The voice, Jooheon, said pleadingly. Minhyuk remembered Jooheon. He wanted Jooheon.

Minhyuk fought against the restraints, snapping whatever was holding him in place easily. He jumped up, eyes barely adjusted to the sudden brightness. The first thing he saw made his legs almost give out.

Jooheon rushed to him, wrapping his arms around his waist.

“Minhyuk, thank god…” He whispered, holding Minhyuk tighter.

“Honey…” Minhyuk’s voice sounded weird in his ears. Jooheon was hiding his face in Minhyuk’s neck, but Minhyuk wanted to see him. “Look at me Honey.”

Jooheon didn’t look up. Minhyuk tried to pull away but Jooheon was too strong. He managed to work one arm free, and used it to lift Jooheon’s chin. He was exactly the way he remembered him. Same round cheeks, same bright smile, same dimples, same eyes-

Oh.

“Jooheon, are you wearing contacts?” Minhyuk asked faintly. Jooheon froze. Hakyeon froze. The room seemed to freeze.

“Minhyuk, maybe you should sit down…” Jooheon said carefully.

“Red looks good on you Honey,” Minhyuk chuckled. “You look like a real vampire. Not the fake cat eyes the others have… but I like your brown eyes best.”

“Hyung, you really should sit down.” Jooheon wasn’t looking at him.

“He’s right Minhyuk…” Hakyeon came over and led Minhyuk to the bed. “You’ve missed… a lot.”

“What do you mean?” Minhyuk didn’t understand.

“You’ve been asleep for a while,” Jooheon said, but he was obviously hiding something. “And it’s gonna take a while to catch you up.”

“How long could I have possibly been asleep?” Minhyuk felt like they were playing a prank on them, and if they didn’t get to the punchline soon he was going to get cranky.

“Hyung, you’ve been asleep for almost two years.” Jooheon’s voice was almost completely silent, but Minhyuk heard.

“Haha, very funny.” Minhyuk mocked him. Out of all the punchlines they could have come up with, this one was a little disappointing.

“After what happened, your body shut down,” Hakyeon said, sounding cautious. “We did what we could to save you then but… there was only one choice. I- We don’t know why it took you so long to wake up after the transformation was complete. Maybe your body was in shock, or maybe it was a defense mechanism… either way, we’re happy you’re back. Sorry about tying you up too. We were just worried if you woke up without anyone here you’d freak out. Seems the rope didn’t do much in the end anyway.”

“Wait… transformation?” Minhyuk was suddenly very, very aware of a crucial thing.

He couldn’t feel his own heartbeat.

He reached for his neck, but his pulse point was quiet.

Minhyuk let his hand drop back into his lap.

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but we’re here to help you adjust-” Hakyeon started.

“You seem really calm about all this…” Jooheon commented, sounding uneasy.

“I mean, it makes sense. Whatever Jackie did to me… there was no way I was going to survive that. It hurt too much. The only way to save me was to turn me into a vampire, right? I’m one of you now? And I guess the theory about me sleeping so long makes sense too. I went through hell and back in that house.” Minhyuk looked up and smiled at Hakyeon and Jooheon, who were staring at him with wide, shocked eyes.

“W-well, now that you’re awake, we can start teaching you. The first few years are the roughest. You’ll have cravings, and human food will make you sick. Usually around three or fours years of a strictly blood diet you can start to handle food,” Hakyeon explained with a relieved smile. “Jooheon is doing really well with that. We’re all surprised with how quickly he’s getting used to everything.”

“I just really wanted noodles again.” Jooheon laughed from Minhyuk’s other side.

“You… you TURNED MY BOYFRIEND INTO A VAMPIRE?” Minhyuk screamed, grabbing Hakyeon by the throat and slamming him against a wall. Though Hakyeon was older, Minhyuk had the raw power of a new vampire. That, paired with the uncontrollable rage burning through his body.

“Hyung, it’s not what you think-”

“I’M GOING TO RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF.” Minhyuk was seeing red. Several pairs of hands were suddenly on him, pulling him away from Hakyeon.

“There’s the reaction I was expecting,” he said, sounding only a little shaken. “Once you calm down I’ll explain everything.”

“What is there to explain?” Minhyuk snarled, fighting against the hold they had on him. “You turned my fucking boyfriend into a FUCKING VAMPIRE!”

“First of all, it wasn’t me. Secondly, it was done to save his life.” That caused Minhyuk to hesitate.

“He’s right.” It was Sanhyuk. He was holding Minhyuk’s arms against his sides.

“After you… when you wouldn’t wake up, Jooheon got reckless. He started going out late and getting into fights. He pissed the wrong person off and was shot. They got him in the left lung. He would have been dead in minutes if we hadn’t turned him.” Hakyeon explained. He wasn’t mad at Minhyuk. He could understand the fear and anger Minhyuk must have felt when he realized Jooheon wasn’t wearing contacts.

“You…” Minhyuk turned to look at Jooheon, who was looking at his feet.

“I’m sorry hyung…” he said softly, scuffing his foot on the carpet. “I just… you wouldn’t wake up and I was just so frustrated because there was nothing I could do. I needed something I could control, so I got into fights. I underestimated the guy and paid for it. I… actually considered letting Jaehwan hyung to let me die, but I realized that if I was turned, there would be a chance that I might be able to see you again.”

“But-”

“Hyung, eternity alone was worth the chance to see you again.” Jooheon smiled at him, and Minhyuk started sobbing. He felt himself be released and he fell into Jooheon’s arms. The younger boy let him cry, whispering promises and reassurances in his ear.

“We have quite a lot of exposition to fill you in on,” Hakyeon said with a smile. “Why don’t we go to the kitchen. I can get you some blood bags. You must be starving.”

Minhyuk didn’t even realize how hungry he was until Hakyeon mentioned blood. He nodded pitifully and Jooheon laughed. He picked Minhyuk up as if he weighed nothing and carried him out.

* * *

 

Minhyuk felt like a new man. Hakyeon poured the blood bags into a glass, and he drank twelve before finally feeling full. It took a few tries to drink around his newly discovered fangs, but Sanhyuk assured it gets easier to control them, which Minhyuk found hard to believe seeing how Hyuk seemed to have the most trouble keeping his in check.

“How are you feeling Minmin?” Jaehwan asked, hugging Minhyuk from behind.

“Much better,” Minhyuk grinned and turned to hug his friend properly. “It’s good to see you. Last time I saw you, you looked like shit.”

“Glad to see you’re awake,” Jaehwan grinned back. “You know, I was going to have to start dusting you if you didn’t wake up soon.”

“Two years…” The weight of the situation struck Minhyuk. “How is everyone? What happened at the house? How long has Jooheon been a vampire? Did… did anyone die? Is that why no one’s said anything yet? Oh my god someone died didn’t they? Oh my god…” he rambled, getting more and more anxious.

“Calm down hyung,” Jooheon took Minhyuk’s face in his hands. “No one died. None… none of our side at least. They’re not here because, well… you’re a bit of a danger to them right now. When I was turned, they were basically banned from the house until I could control myself. Maybe, if everyone is there, we could see them for a little bit? Just so he can see they’re okay?” He aimed the last question at Hakyeon, who seemed conflicted.

“I supposed as long as we’re all there, the chances of him losing control are slim. We could easily stop him if he tries to attack.” He sounded hesitant but Minhyuk was thrilled.

“Thank you so much hyung!” He hugged Hakyeon tightly and the older man could help but smile fondly at the boy and pat his head.

“As for the rest of your questions…” Jaehwan said, sounding a little uneasy. “The easier answers are Jooheon was turned about a month after the whole… thing happened, so he’s been a vampire for almost two years now. No one died other than the three rogues in the office. Everyone is good, last time we checked. Hyunwoo and Kihyun are planning on getting married by the end of May, though they were going to keep pushing back until you woke up. Hoseok and Hyungwon adopted a german shepard and this huge orange cat from the shelter and they keep sending me pictures of them sleeping together which is cute when it’s the animals and slightly less cute when it’s Hoseok and Hyungwon, though I have to admit they make quite a handsome couple. They quit hunting too, thankfully. That would have made for awkward sunday dinners if they hadn’t. Hoseok is a personal trainer and Hyungwon is a model!  Changkyun graduated college a few months back and got a job nearby so he could be closer to everyone. Last time I checked he was still single but I swear I’m going to find him a boyfriend.”

“That’s… good,” Minhyuk relaxed into Jooheon’s arms. “They all sound happy. I’m glad.”

“Seokjin -  you haven’t officially met him yet have you?” Jaehwan continued. “Anyway, he’s been living here too, but we told him to stay away for a few days since you’re awake now. He wants to turn too, but he wanted to wait until he turned twenty six, because that’s how old I was when I turned. Plus, we picked up a spare. He’s a weird kid, way too young to be a vampire in my opinion, but he’s learning. Wonshik and Taekwoon have been showing him the ropes around here. You’ll probably see him around.”

“As for what happened at the house…” Hakyeon started softly. “You… he was trying to turn you himself. The thing about turning a human into a vampire, if there’s suffering at the time of change the new vampire is stronger. We think it’s a form of defense, if you’re hurting before you turn, your body is equipt to protect yourself after. He was trying to do that, so he… he ripped your heart from your chest. We thought you had died right then, so I… I admit I was a little rash. I thought you were dead, so there was no reason to hold back. I killed him slowly and very, very painfully, but I won’t upset you with the details.”

“If you want to know the details,” Sanhyuk chimed in, peeling a banana. “I won’t spare any bit. It was terrifying when it was happening but looking back it was really fucking badass.”

“Please don’t scar the child anymore than he already is,” Hakyeon scolded lightly. “Anyway, by the time I was… back to my own mind, I realized Sanhyuk was holding you. He must have noticed you were still alive and thought quickly. He turned you, but your body seemed to reject it at first. If someone is on the cusp of death, but is leaning too far towards the other side, there’s a chance they will pass despite the venom in their system. We watched your wounds heal and your skin pale. Your heart stopped but your breathing didn’t, and we knew the transformation was successful except…”

“Except I never woke up.” Minhyuk finished.

“We thought maybe you were just in shock, so we brought you back to the house, but you just stayed asleep. Jooheon was livid because we tried to keep him away from you. We never knew when - or even if - you were going to wake up, and we didn’t want to risk his safety. After his accident, we kept him here but said he shouldn’t see you until he was more in control of himself incase something happened.”

“Maybe that’s why he’s doing so well with everything,” Jaehwan commented easily. “He forced himself to adjust for Minhyuk.”

“Honey…” Minhyuk whispered, turning to his boyfriend, who just smiled back. He stared into the familiar eyes, not used to the red staring back at him - though he supposed his eyes were just as red. He turned to Hakyeon. “When will our eyes look like yours?”

“Actually, our eyes are still crimson,” Hakyeon grinned, his eyes flashing red as Jooheon’s before going back to their odd reflective caramel. “You will learn to control your appearance once your powers and strengths start to develop.”

“That’s so cool…” Minhyuk breathed before turning back to Jooheon with a grin. “You won’t need to worry about contacts anymore.”

“I don’t have to worry about anything anymore,” he said, his mouth an inch from Minhyuk’s. His whispered words brushed over Minhyuk’s lips before pushing forward to kiss the older boy deeply. When Jooheon finally pulled away, his eyes were sparkling bright. “Everything is perfect now.”

* * *

 

“Wow hyung, your eyes are wild.” Changkyun breathed in awe.

“Really? The first time we’ve seen him in two years and that’s the first thing you say?” Kihyun snapped, but he didn’t actually sound angry. He sounded relieved. They all looked relieved that their friend was alive and well - well, walking and talking at least.

Everyone changed since the last time Minhyuk saw them. Hyunwoo was wearing glasses and a sweater, looking more like a dad than even a real dad would. Minhyuk snickered, realizing his friend was entirely whipped for a domestic life with Kihyun. The witch boy gained some weight, but it looked good on him. His hair was a light pink and it made him look almost like a fairy. Hyungwon was as lanky as ever, but he had silver hair that fell nicely in his face. Hoseok, on the other hand seemed to have gotten even more muscular. His hair was yellow with orange highlights that made it look like fire, especially when it was swept out of his face. Despite the new bulk, he somehow looked softer with Hyungwon. Changkyun’s face had slimmed out and he finally seemed to grow into his features. His hair was the same soft brown as the last time Minhyuk saw him, but there was an air of maturity around him.

Minhyuk realised there were tears running down his face only when Jooheon wiped his cheek with a warm hand.

“Is everything alright?” he asked, worried maybe his boyfriend was feeling overwhelmed. Minhyuk smiled and nodded, more tears escaping his eyes.

“I’m just… so happy,” He said through a hiccup. “Everything is okay. Everything actually turned out okay.” he scrubbed at his face as he laughed through his tears. He could hear someone else in the room start to sniffle, and when he lifted his head he wasn’t surprised to see it was Hoseok who was trying to hold back tears as well.

“Welcome back Minhyuk.”

* * *

 

Minhyuk grimaced as a waiter walked past with a plate of little quiche. Despite his attempts to force his body to accept human food, he still couldn’t eat anything without getting violently ill. Hakyeon told him it was okay, and that trying to force it would just make things hard, but Minhyuk was determined to have a slice of Hyunwoo and Kihyun’s wedding cake. He had to listen to them talk about exactly what kind of icing it was going to have for months and he wanted a slice!

“Babe, you look like you’re going to eat the waiter.” Jooheon slid in next to him with two glasses of red wine infused with blood - something Hakyeon promised wouldn’t send Minhyuk hurling to the nearest restroom.

“I want a quiche.” He said quietly, his eyes watering from the brown contacts.

“I know love, but we can’t have food yet. Hyung promised that it’ll get easier the longer we’re alive.” Jooheon tried to console his pouting boyfriend.

“It’s stupid,” Minhyuk crossed his arms pitifully. “You can eat food just fine. All you get is a mild stomach ache while I’m puking my guts up for three hours.”

“I’ve also been working at this for two years and you’ve barely been awake for five months.” Jooheon poked Minhyuk’s cheek and the older boy broke. He stared at his Honey for a second with a sad expression before letting a soft smile across his face.

“As long as you’re here, I guess it isn’t too bad.” he grinned at the faint betrayal written on Jooheon’s face.

“Isn’t too bad? I thought my company was a little better than that at least!” he huffed cutely. Minhyuk giggled and leaned over to place a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

“Your company is the best I could ask for.” He whispered.

“That’s better,” Jooheon grinned and turned to kiss Minhyuk fully, relishing in the bolt of electricity that shot up his spine every time he did, regardless of how many times he did it. “Now stop whining, Kihyun hyung looks like he wants to say something.”

Minhyuk looked to the grooms, who hadn’t stopped beaming since the ceremony started. He could sense there were more people like Kihyun around in the audience, but he was still getting used to his new senses.

He glanced over at Jooheon and briefly wondered if they would ever have a ceremony like Hyunwoo and Kihyun. If they would invite a lot of people or just their close friends. If they would have a traditional cake or something crazy, like a sushi tower instead.

“When it’s our turn,” Jooheon whispered to Minhyuk, never taking his eyes off Kihyun - who was in the middle of a very emotional speech - but smiling nonetheless. “I refuse to make a sappy speech. I’m not going to cry in front of our friends.”

Minhyuk felt tears overflowing when he finally realized what his boyfriend had said. He whipped his cheeks with the napkin and grinned.

“We both know you’re going to cry anyway.” He lightly teased, his voice cracking a little as more tears down down his face.

“Ah, you’re right,” Jooheon looked at his, his mischievous smirk softening at the sight of the happy tears ruining the napkin in Minhyuk’s hands. “You always bring out my softer side.”

“I love you, you big baby.” Minhyuk sniffled, resting his head on Jooheon’s shoulder.

“I love you too.” Jooheon kissed his hair before turning his attention to Hyunwoo, who was bawling on the stage.

Minhyuk may have zoned out, but he would never admit it to his friends. He was just too busy thinking of his own wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap~
> 
> I had so much fun writing this. I know I've mentioned it before, but adore the supernatural. Ask any of my friends and they'll tell you how much I joke about getting fucked by a vampire. But really, I've always been fascinated by magic and the supernatural. My novel and all of my short stories are based with either vampires or zombies or magic. I was always a LOTR kid, much to my Trekkie mother's disappointment.
> 
> I know this fic didn't get as much traffic as some of my others. I guess people aren't as weird as I am when it comes to supernatural. Despite that, I'm very eager to write another fic like this! I was thinking magic powers next time, or maybe superheros? 
> 
> Thank you everyone who followed this and read. I know it was a bit of a rollercoaster, but it was on we experienced together! Everyone single comment, kudo and hit I take to heart. Even if you didn't like it, it really means a lot that you took the time to give it a shot. Keep an eye out for the next angsty bullshit I manage to turn out!
> 
> Until next time,  
> Starlight~

**Author's Note:**

> So this was a quick idea I had at work the other day. I don't see thing being more than a handful of chapters, but those who know me also know whenever I say that it gets way out of hand.  
> I'll be updating the summary and the tags as the story goes, so keep an eye out.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, I've been requested to write some smut eventually and I swear I'll do it. Just not in this one?


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